The Jordanian newspaper "Al-Rai" reported on Monday that the General Intelligence Directorate thwarted a terrorist plot aimed at the intelligence building in the city of Irbid, northern Jordan. The newspaper noted that the operation took place in March of last year, mentioning that two supporters of the ISIS terrorist organization were involved in the attempt. According to the report, intelligence operations prevented the execution of the plan, revealing the identity of the primary suspect who intended to form a cell in coordination with the second suspect to carry out the plot.
The report added that a third suspect was involved in the case, noting that these individuals had previously been referred to the State Security Court for promoting ideas related to a terrorist group and attempting to join armed groups and terrorist organizations. They are currently serving sentences for those cases in a rehabilitation center. Despite being in prison, this did not deter them from changing their views on ISIS, and they continued to support and promote it, with the first and second suspects discussing the organization's achievements and advocating for it.
While in prison, the first suspect developed the conviction that it was necessary to form a cell and carry out military operations in Jordan in support of the terrorist organization by targeting security forces and their personnel. He then began searching for supporters of the organization to participate with him in executing military operations after completing his sentence. He presented the idea to the second suspect, who agreed to it, pledging his obedience, and they agreed that the second suspect, due to his long sentence, would attract several supporters of the organization to join the cell and assist the first suspect in implementing his criminal plan to support ISIS after they were released from prison.
Last year, the first suspect completed his sentence and was released from prison, continuing to support ISIS and defend them in front of his family and friends, praising their achievements and gaining supporters. According to investigations, the first suspect met with the third suspect at the end of last year, and they exchanged news about the ISIS group to reinforce their belief in the legitimacy of the organization. During the same period, the third suspect continued to promote the ideas of ISIS. At the beginning of this year, the first suspect identified the target for his terrorist plot: the Irbid intelligence building. He assessed its entrances and exits since it was close to his residence, visiting it multiple times, and decided to purchase a firearm for use in the operation, awaiting the second suspect, who was still in prison, to send him supporters of the organization to participate in the execution of the terrorist operation.
However, on March 3 of last year, one of them was arrested, which prevented the execution of the plot, and the third suspect was apprehended on the tenth of the same month.
**The Story of Irbid and Terrorism**
The Irbid Governorate in northern Jordan has witnessed various attempts to launch deadly attacks by terrorist organizations. The city experienced armed clashes between several terrorists and security forces in 2016, resulting in the death of seven terrorists and the arrest of twenty others, while one security personnel was killed and five others injured. Years earlier, specifically in 2004, a group known as the "Izmi al-Jaousi Cell" was uncovered in Irbid, which was one of the cells linked to the terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The cell was apprehended in the final stages of preparation, with 20 tons of chemical explosives in their possession, intended for detonation in the General Intelligence building, which could have resulted in the deaths of 80,000 and injuries to 160,000, according to expert estimates.
Security agencies have thwarted dozens of operations in the governorate over the years, and the area is the birthplace of the ideological leader of the Salafi stream, Abdul Shhada al-Tahawi, known as "Abu Muhammad al-Tahawi," who is serving a prison sentence. It is also the hometown of Omar Mahdi Zidan, the chief religious authority for ISIS, who, according to sources, was killed in an international coalition airstrike in Iraq.
