Jordan Times
Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Police hunt last wanted suspect

By Rana Husseini

AMMAN, April 13 - Government officials said on Monday that security forces were searching for the last wanted suspect in connection with terror plots that targeted public and foreign institutions in the Kingdom.

“Several people were detained by the authorities, including two of the three suspects, whose photos were published in the local media recently. The hunt now is ongoing for the third wanted person,” Government Spokesperson Asma Khader said.

Earlier this month, the Public Security Department (PSD) issued an all-points bulletin with the names and photos of three wanted people. The PSD offered a financial reward for information that would lead to their arrest.

The two suspects currently in police custody are Suleiman Darwish and Mwaffaq Odwan.

The remaining wanted person being hunted by the authorities is Azmi Jaiousi.

“We want to assure everyone that the situation is under control and that the terrorists' plots were obstructed by the security forces and can no longer take place,” Khader told reporters during a press conference.

“The interrogation is in its final stages and the majority of the explosives and weapons have been seized by the security forces,” Khader added.

Khader told reporters that full details of the arrests and the plots would be announced once authorities conclude their interrogation and refer the file to the concerned judicial authorities.

On April 10 security forces announced the arrest of several suspects and the detention of two cars laden with explosives near the Naemeh crossing, outside Irbid.

The vehicles contained weapons, explosives and raw material that could be used in bomb making, according to news reports.

The announcement came almost 10 days after the government said it arrested several terror suspects and apprehended a truck laden with explosives near the Jordanian-Syrian border.

Interrogations revealed that the detained men had planned to target several public and foreign institutions, including the American embassy in Amman.


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