Jordan Says It’s Questioning Two Syrians on Arms
|
Version 0 of 1. AMMAN, Jordan — The Jordanian police on Wednesday questioned two Syrians who were detained the day before and accused of trying to smuggle antitank missiles, surface-to-air missiles and assault rifles into Jordan, according to a security official. The announcement came a week after the authorities said they had arrested another group of smugglers, including Syrians, trying to bring in arms. They said that group was caught with the largest arms cache to be brought into the kingdom from Syria in more than two years of civil war there. The official said no motive had been determined in the latest case. “There is an investigation now to determine if the two men were rebels seeking to hide weapons in Jordan, or that they smuggled them in with the malicious intention of staging attacks here,” the official said. His account was confirmed by another security official; both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a security matter under investigation. Jordan is concerned that Syria’s war will spill across the border, and in particular that insurgents linked to Al Qaeda or agents of Damascus or its allies, like Hezbollah, will stage attacks to destabilize the kingdom, an American ally. Despite repeated denials by the government, Jordan acted earlier this year as a transit point for weapons financed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar and destined for Syrian rebels seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad. The kingdom is a strong critic of Syria’s alliance with Iran, which adheres to the rival Shiite sect of Islam. Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim governments worry that Iran’s growing influence in the region, stretching from Iraq to Syria, could eventually engulf countries in the Persian Gulf, including Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia itself. |