Jordan Times
Friday, May 12, 2006
JTV airs
confessions of 3 suspected Hamas plotters
Detainees say smuggled arms into Jordan, trained in Syria to kill intelligence
personnel
AMMAN (JT) — Three suspected Hamas members on Thursday confessed on Jordan TV
that they were recruited by a Syria-based leader of the movement to kill
intelligence personnel and others in the Kingdom.
The TV, which broadcast accounts of the three-member group that is part of 20
suspects arrested for smuggling arms from Syria into Jordan and plotting to
carry out attack, also showed footage of seized weapons, including dozens of
handgrenades, Iranian-made Katyusha rockets, Light Anti-tank Weapon rocket
launchers and machineguns. Some of the weapons were wrapped in plastic and
hidden in an olive grove in northern Jordan.
The three men said they were involved in surveillance operations and
assassination plots.
In his confession, leader of the group, Ayman Naji Daraghmeh, 34, a resident of
Hashmieh town to the east of Zarqa, spoke about his links to Hamas, trips to
Syria and monitoring of a General Intelligence Department (GID) officer, who
lives in Salt. Daraghmeh met during Umra (Lesser pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia
another Hamas operative, identified as Abu Hassan, who told him that the officer
“harmed the Hamas.”
Daraghmeh, who said he received military and intelligence training in Syria, met
Abu Hassan in Amman and took photos of the officer’s house. Daraghmeh said he
delivered a camera disc to Wael Abu Hantash, a Hamas member in Damascus.
Daraghmeh, arrested on April 18, said he later met in Zarqa a bus driver and
took from him arms he smuggled from Syria.
A second suspect, Ahmad Mohammad Abu Rabie, 27, said he was arrested on May 6.
Abu Rabie said he was recruited by Daraghmeh to buy weapons for Hamas and
conduct surveillance of a bus that transported GID personnel. Both suspects said
they planned to attack the bus.
Abu Rabie also said Daraghmeh told him to carry out surveillance of tourists in
Aqaba, with the aim of carrying out attacks there.
A third suspect, Ahmad Nimir Abu Thiyab, arrested on April 18, was a mosque imam
in Mafraq.
Abu Thiyab, who received a 20-day military training in Syria, said he got
weapons and ammunitions for Hamas in Jordan, and that some of the arms came from
Iraq.
He was tasked by Daraghmeh to monitor foreign tourists in Aqaba and a Jordanian
businessman, identified as Sami George Khouri, who owns a farm in Mafraq. Abu
Thiyab said Daraghmeh thought the businessman was a Jew, but he was actually a
Christian.
“I told them he’s a Jordanian Christian and I had a good relationship with him,
but Daraghmeh said he’s a Jew and a target for us,” Abu Thiyab said, quoting
Daraghmeh as telling him that “the mission was for the sake of God and Islam.”
Abu Thiyab added that Daraghmeh offered him money to accept the “assignments.”
“He knew I was having family problems because of [lack of] money. He encouraged
me to leave my [Ministry of Islamic Affairs and] Awqaf job, which paid me JD100
a month and promised to give me JD150,” Abu Thiyab said.
“Sometimes, they threatened me. They said I was involved in this and if they get
caught, I will be arrested with them.”
Earlier Thursday, Government Spokesperson Nasser Judeh said a Palestinian
security team headed by intelligence chief Major General Tareq Abu Rajab wrapped
up a visit to Amman, where they were acquainted with the details of the case.
Judeh told reporters on Wednesday that investigations also revealed attempts to
bring recruits from the Palestinian territories to send them to Syria and Iran
to receive “military, security and intelligence” training.
But he did not accuse Syria or Iran of involvement in arms smuggling or training
of suspects.
Agence France-Presse quoted a top Jordanian official as saying that “Jordan is
not accusing Iran of implication in this affair, nor is it accusing Syria.
“We have established that the Hamas elements who were arrested came from Syria
and that certain arms were of Iranian-make, but our accusations centre on Hamas,
on which we place full responsibility for these attempts to destabilise Jordan.”
Meanwhile, Hamas Spokesman Mushir Masri told AFP that the Jordanian government
was “trying to exaggerate the situation by causing an uproar but this will have
only minimal consequences,” adding that he regretted the “means used” by Amman.
The Hamas-led government had refused to send delegates with the Palestinian
team.
After the discovery of the arms cache, Jordan cancelled a planned visit by
Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar.
Also Thursday, acting Lower House Speaker Nayef Fayez said in remarks to the
Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the House “categorically rejects any attempt by
any party to destabilise Jordan.”
He voiced the House’s full support for the government and the security service’s
“dedicated efforts” that led to the discovery of the plots.