Israel hands over Jordanian MP who smuggled 200 arms and rifles into West Bank

Imad Al-Adwan, the Jordanian lawmaker who was arrested last month for carrying 200 handguns and assault rifles into West Bank, was released on Sunday and is due to face charges back home.

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the Shin Bet security agency has handed over Imad to Jordanian authorities for “further investigation and prosecution.”

The Jordan News Agency Petra reported that the Parliament held an emergency meeting, in whicha majority of the lawmakers voted to strip Imad of his immunity as a legislator, setting the stage for his trial in the kingdom.

Jordanian news reports stated that preparations were underway to question Imad ahead of putting him on trial at the military State Security Court.

He was caught on April 22 with 194 handguns and 12 assault rifles and gold bars at the Allenby crossing as he was heading into the West Bank by car.

According to Israeli authorities, the lawmaker had been smuggling various types of contraband since February 2022, including birds, electronic cigarettes, and gold. He has reportedly done this 12 times.

This year, Imad smuggled firearms into Israel several times before being caught in April, the Shin Bet said.

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The investigation found that Imad carried out the smuggling using his diplomatic passport, and was receiving “large sums of money.” Jordanian authorities detained a number of suspects who were involved in the smuggling, the Shin Bet said.

Though both countries don’t have an extradition agreement, they signed a peace treaty in 1994, which facilitates strong security ties.

In an interview to Ynet news outlet last month, Israel Foreign Minister Eli Cohen tried to delink the smuggling attempt to Jordan’s ruling establishment.

“I don’t think that the episode is connected to Jordan in general, but to an irresponsible criminal act,” he said.

“I don’t want to assign guilt to the entire government or the entire parliament.”

The latest development comes in the wake of a spike in violence and terror attacks in the West Bank in recent months, which the Israeli authorities believe is aided by a flood of illegal weapons, including many guns smuggled fromJordan.

The incident came amid already elevated tensions between Amman and Jerusalem, particularly over the Temple Mount.

(With inputs from agencies)

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