Jordanians Nab Iranian Operative Planning Terror Attack

Two weeks ago, an Iranian operative named Khaled Al Rubai was reportedly arrested in the Jordanian city of Jerash suspected of planning terrorist attacks. Rubai had infiltrated Jordan through the Syrian border. He holds both Iraqi and Norwegian citizenship, and is reportedly a member of both the Iranian Quds Force as well as the Iran-affiliated Beit al-Maqdis. This second group should not be confused with the Islamic State-affiliated Ansar Bait al-Maqdis in the Sinai.

The Quds Forces are a unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) formed in the 1980s. These special forces report directly to the Supreme Leader of Iran, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, are responsible for foreign operations and have trained and equipped Islamic groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Rubai was found in possession of approximate 45 kilograms of explosives and was reportedly “planning to attack Saudi targets in Jordan”. So far, reports have not included when and where such attacks were going to take place.

Operatives who hold dual citizenship, like Khaled Al Rubai, are common among Iran’s terrorist apparatus. In 2012, a Lebanese man who held a Swedish passport was arrested in Cyprus for planning terrorist attacks against Israeli tourists. He was a member of Hezbollah. Also in 2012, a different Hezbollah member was arrested in Thailand. This member was also targeting Israelis, and also held a Swedish passport.

The suspect from Jordan is appearing today before a military court in Jordanian capital, Amman, but information is scarce as, “Jordan’s State Security Court decided…to forbid the publishing of information regarding an alleged plot to carry out terrorist attacks in Jordanian territory”. This means that all media outlets are forbidden from reporting on the trial and the plot of these thwarted attacks. It will be interesting to see what, if any, information is leaked that would reveal more about the suspect and his intentions.

Sources have said that based on the amount of explosives the suspect had in possession, the attack would have been the most serious terrorist attack in Jordan in ten years. Jordan may have been targeted for its role in “hosting a US-run program to train Syrian rebels to fight against IS”, a role Iranian proxy Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has aggressively condemned.

This incident serves as an important reminder that Iran is still an active and prominent state sponsor of terrorism. In May of this year, President Obama said,”Iran clearly engages in dangerous and destabilizing behavior in different countries across the region. Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism. It helps prop up the Assad regime in Syria. It supports Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It aids the Houthi rebels in Yemen.”

Yet the Iran which is currently engaged in attempting terror attacks against U.S. allies, is the same one which the Obama Administration continues to negotiate with over its nuclear program, including offering billions of dollars in incentives in an attempt to reach a deal. It’s reasonable to believe that Iran will use those funds, and other funds gained through the lifting of sanctions, to conduct additional acts.