Jordan bans Muslim Brotherhood after alleged sabotage plot

NOTE: Jordan is officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is a constitutional monarchy in the Middle East, ruled by the Hashemite dynasty, which claims descent from the Prophet Muhammad through the lineage of Hashem, the great-grandfather of Muhammad. The name reflects the royal family’s lineage, tying it to Islamic heritage and lending legitimacy to their rule. The current king is Abdullah II, who has reigned since 1999.

(Times of Israel) – Jordan on Wednesday (April 23) outlawed and confiscated assets of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Hamas ally and Jordan’s largest opposition group, members of which were linked by authorities to a years-long sabotage plot against the Hashemite Kingdom. [Hamas is an Islamist militant group that spun off from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in the late 1980s].

Jordanian Interior Minister Mazen Fraya said all Muslim Brotherhood activities would be banned in the country and anyone promoting the group’s ideology would be held accountable by law. The ban includes publishing anything by the group and closure and confiscation of all its offices and property, he added.

Fraya said Muslim Brotherhood members had planned attacks on security targets and sensitive locations in the kingdom, aiming to destabilize the country, but did not disclose what these targets were.

Faraya told reporters that “members of the so-called Muslim Brotherhood… are operating in the shadows and engage in activities that could undermine stability and security.”

He added that authorities had found “explosives and weapons transported between Jordanian cities and stored in residential areas”, as well as covert missile manufacturing facilities and “training and recruitment operations” linked to the group.

There was no immediate comment from the Brotherhood, whose affiliated political party, Islamic Action Front, won the most seats in Jordan’s parliamentary election last year [they won 31 of the 138], though most seats are still held by government supporters. Following Wednesday’s announcement, Jordanian police surrounded and searched the Front’s headquarters in Amman.

Suspects in what Jordan said was a plot linked to the Muslim Brotherhood to carry out attacks on targets inside the kingdom involving rockets and drones, April 15, 2025. (Jordanian General Intelligence Department via X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law) Posted at Times of Israel

Jordan banned the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago, but officially licensed a splinter group, and continued to tolerate [its political arm] the Islamic Action Front while restricting some its activities. It was not immediately clear how far the latest ban would go.

Without providing names or further details, Jordan’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that the son of one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s leaders in the country had joined others in trying to manufacture and test explosives to be used against Jordanian security forces.

“It has been proven that members of the group operate in the dark and engage in activities that could destabilize the country,” the ministry said. “Members of the dissolved Muslim Brotherhood have tampered with security and national unity, and disrupted security and public order.”

Jordan’s government also published a video of confessions by the suspects, who had been referred to the state security court for trial. The suspects were said to have received funding and training in Lebanon. The Brotherhood has denied the allegations.

The Muslim Brotherhood was established in Egypt nearly a century ago and has branches across the world. Opponents of the group, which is outlawed in most Arab countries, say it is a dangerous terrorist group that must be crushed. The movement says it publicly renounced violence decades ago and pursues an Islamist vision using peaceful means.

Hamas and the Brotherhood have been accused of fomenting anti-government street protests in Jordan throughout the war in Gaza, which was sparked when thousands of terrorists stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to brutally murder some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages. The US-backed Hashemite Kingdom has a significant Palestinian population*.

Jordan, which expelled Hamas in 1999, enjoys relative stability compared with other countries in the region but has previously announced arrests on national security charges.

Last May, Jordanian officials said the country had thwarted an arms transfer from Hamas funder Iran, via Syria, to the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.

Israel has also thwarted several arms-smuggling plots from Jordan, announcing in February that security forces had detained nine Israeli citizens and one West Bank Palestinian on suspicion of running one smuggling route. Iranian officials also told The New York Times last year that Iran employs Bedouins to smuggle arms from Jordan to Palestinian terror groups in the West Bank.

Published at Times of Israel on April 23, 2025 with staff and wire services. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.