Note: This story is developing fast, and will be updated as information becomes available.
1.Summary:
Jordanian Parliament Member Emad Al-Edwan was arrested on the 23rd of April, 2023 after crossing from Jordan into Israel. He was trying to smuggle high power weapons and gold into the country. JaFaJ was able to confirm the man is highly connected to the Kings inner circle and is considered a Jordanian intelligence asset. Jordan’s King private office has been pushing Israel to release him but without success so far. JaFaJ sources insinuated damning evidence of the Hashemite Kingdoms’ connections to terrorist groups who have carried out attacks in Israel.
2. On Sunday, April 23, 2023, Jordanian Parliament Member Emad Al-Edwan was arrested by the Israeli authorities after crossing the Allenby Bridge from Jordan for attempting to smuggle weapons and 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of gold into Israel.
3. The weapon cache included several M4 assault rifles and other high-powered weapons. The Israeli media circulated a video of the seized weapons without mentioning the Jordanian parliamentarian’s name in their story until the Israeli government issued a gag order banning the media from reporting on the matter. [COMMENT: The Israeli government takes Gag orders very seriously, with those breaking them risking significant jail time. A gag order is considered a state security matter in the Jewish state. END COMMENT]
Who is Emad Al-Edwan?
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4. Emad Al-Edwan is a Jordanian of East Bank heritage. His family dub themselves “a tribe,” indicating vast numbers of tribesmen, as most East Bank Jordanians do. In reality, the Al-Edwan family number less than 500 individuals and is no more prominent than any other family in Jordan. Born in 1988, Al-Edwan is married and holds a master’s degree in law. Before becoming a Parliament member, he was not a very successful lawyer with a humble practice in the Jordanian capital Amman.
5. Since college, Emad has been affiliated with the fearsome and very capable Mukhabarat, the Jordanian Genrra; Intellgence Department (GID). A Jordanian intelligence source confirmed: “He has been an informer of ours since 1997, and we have helped him win a parliamentary seat.” [COMMENT: In Jordan, the GID is known for meddling in all aspects in life in a manner very similar to the Stasi of East Germany, from soccer teams to government appointments. The GID follows a lifelong affiliation method: they recruit informants from universities and let them work for them for a lifetime. Hence it is only logical Al-Edwan would have never become a Parliament Member in a country where the GID has a documented history of rigging elections. END COMMENT]
The King’s Body, Al-Edwan, is More Connected than Most
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6. A Western intelligence source in Amman has confided to us that “Emad Al-Edwan is considered to be one of the King’s inner circle, with strong connections to the spokesman of the Jordanian parliament Ahmd Al-Safadi. As such, Al-Edwan was highly favored by both the King whom he met with regularly and the GID.” An American source reported to JaFaJ: “Al-Edwan was on the King’s A-list, and a likely candidate for the position of Speaker of the House or Prime Minister. He is also considered one of the King’s pit bulls, the go-to guy for crazy missions.”
Al-Edwan Was Covered by the Jordanian Embassy
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7. JaFaJ intelligence sources have confirmed that Al-Edwan entered Israel under direct diplomatic coordination provided by the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv. In addition, Jordanian diplomats were “present” when the bust occurred. A Western intelligence source reported to JaFaJ that Israeli intelligence against suspect the Jordanian diplomats were involved in the smuggling operation and had aided and abetted Al-Edwan. The sources added that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Embassy that it sought to speak to those diplomats to ask them what they knew about the matter. Still, the Jordanian turned this request down, and two diplomats hastily fled back to Amman in the afternoon.
8. At the same time, JaFaJ has confirmed that the head of the King of Jordan’s Royal Hashemite Court and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, has been trying to reach Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the arrest took place, hoping to secure the release of Al-Edwan and to stop the media coverage of the story. In addition, the Jordanian Chief of Intelligence, Hatuqai, called the Deputy Director of the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence services.
9. JaFaJ can confirm the gag order was issued by the Israeli government for what our well-connected Western source in Jerusalem calls “A point of reasoning with Jordan in exchange for Al-Edwan telling them whom he has been delivering weapons and money to.”
The source added Al-Edwan has been on the radar screen of the Israeli security agencies for some time, and they have documented him delivering weapons and cash to several terror operatives in the West Bank, and this is supported with an abundance of evidence of that.”
Worse Than Anyone Thinks
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10. A Western intelligence source reported to JaFaJ the case of Al-Edwan is “worse than we have thought; it shows the government of Jordan has facilitated the delivery of weapons and cash to terror organizations in the territories [the West Bank] that have been used in recent terror attacks against Israeli civilians.”
11. JaFaJ has confirmed that Al-Edwan has been involved in three similar operations before this one, with connections to the newly emerging terror group “Ariene Al-Asood.” An Israeli source reported the following to JaFaJ, “We cannot comment on the case, but we have known from the beginning that Ariene Al-Asood is an offshoot of the Jordanian intelligence in the West Bank.”
What the Israelis Want to Know
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12. As the interrogation of Al-Edwan continues, the Israelis are seeking more information from him about whom he was planning to deliver weapons for in future operations and who has been giving him the orders in Jordan. Currently, the Israeli are more concerned with gathering evidence implicating the Jordanian government to stop it from supporting terrorists.
The King Wants to Blame it on the Iranians
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13. JaFaJ learned Jordan’s King’s advisors are working on blaming the issue on Iran and claiming Al-Edwan was working on behalf of Iranians. An American source reported to JaFaJ, “The Jordanians began calling everyone who would listen in DC claiming it was the Iranians and not them; this is hard to believe because Israel has been providing evidence suggesting the contrary and pointing towards Jordan.”