Jordan says Israel arrested MP suspected of arms smuggling

AFP | Amman

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com    

Israel has arrested a Jordanian member of parliament suspected of trying to smuggle weapons and gold into the occupied West Bank, Jordan’s foreign ministry said Sunday.

Amman is “following the case of representative Imad Adwan who has been detained by Israeli authorities”, foreign ministry spokesman Sinan Majali said in a statement.

Adwan has been arrested “for interrogation in a case concerning alleged smuggling of quantities of weapons and gold”, Majali added.

“The ministry and all relevant agencies in the kingdom are working to ascertain the details of this issue and address it as quickly as possible.”

Adwan, 35, is a member of the Jordanian parliament’s Palestine Committee.

Israeli media reported he was arrested at the King Hussein (Allenby) crossing in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 Six-Day War.

Authorities have seized weapons and gold found in his car, media reports said.

A video circulating on social media showed pistols and automatic rifles allegedly seized from Adwan’s car, but AFP has been unable to independently verify the authenticity of the video.

There has been no official comment from Israeli authorities on Adwan’s arrest.