Hamas' representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan on Thursday reiterated his Movements' denial of the series of "Jordanian fabrications involving Hamas in smuggling weapons," saying that latest statements by the Jordanian government spokesman, Nasser Jouda, were further proof of Hamas' theory that such allegations were "baseless lies".
He added that Jouda stated that the Jordanian security authorities had rounded up "alleged culprits" just a couple of days ago, while the issue they had initiated was a two-week-old "fabrication".
Jouda claimed that Jordanian security forces have arrested 20 suspects, and that they have uncovered huge weapon caches that included Katyusha, Grad, and Lau missiles of "Iranian seal".
Hamdan clarified that his Movement condemns and rejects the Jordanian new "inventions", regretting the Jordanian escalation and ballooning of the problem instead of correcting "their mistake".
According to PIC, he charged that concerned parties in Jordan were trying to crack the cordial relationship between Hamas and PA chairman, Mahmoud Abbas, and embarrass him before the Americans and Israelis to justify their "unjust financial siege" on the Palestinian people.
Earlier in the day, Jouda said that the Palestinian security team headed by intelligence chief Major General Tareq Abu Rajab had concluded its meetings at the General Intelligence Department (GID). ''The visit of the Palestinian team came as a result of the meeting of His Majesty King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman during which the two leaders agreed to send a Palestinian political and security team to inspect the issue of weapons and explosives smuggled by Hamas to Jordan,'' Jouda told Jordan News Agency.
He expressed regret over the refusal of the Hamas- led cabinet to take part in the Palestinian delegation. ''Intensive meetings were held over the past two days between GID Director General Muhammad Dahabi and Abu Rajab and the accompanying delegation to examine the issue of weapons and explosives smuggled by Hamas to Jordan to attack officials and targets in the Kingdom,'' said Jouda.
He noted that Jordan asked the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to send a political and security delegation including members from the Hamas- led government to discuss the issue calmly and reasonably away from media so that to preserve the Jordanian- Palestinian "brotherly" relations.
Jouda added that the Jordanian government wonders "why members from Hamas would target security of Jordan and safety of its officials despite the government's good will initiatives toward the Palestinian government to rearrange relations with Hamas movement as representative of the Palestinians."
The Jordanian TV on Thursday aired clips of weapons which alleged members of Hamas smuggled and stored in Jordan.
One suspect, Ayman Naji Daraghmeh, 43, said he was linked to Hamas by a friend, who proposed on him to work with Hamas and he agreed. Then Ayman traveled to Syria and met with Hamas official Abu Al Abed. Ayman stayed in Syria and attended training course in telecommunications and investigating.
''Abu Al Abed asked me to meet him in Syria... I met him in Syria and he told me that a new official named Abu Anas will be responsible for me... the next day I met Abu Anas... I recognized the picture of Abu Anas by detectives and his name was Wael Abu Hantash, who asked me to work with him in Jordan and gave me a map for Deir Al Kahf area in which they stored weapons... He then gave me some money and asked me to find a new point and put a map of it and transfer the weapons to it...'' said Ayman Naji.
Naji added that he went back to Jordan and went to Deir Al Kahf area and took the weapons to the area he chose in Al Kahwaji village near Prince Mohammad suburb, drew the map and stored the weapons in an olive trees farm. ''I told Abu Anas about this and he asked me to meet him in Saudi Arabia, I went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umra, met Abu Anas and explained to him what I did at the second point.'' said Naji in the clip.
''While I was in Saudi Arabia I met a person called Abu Hassan, who has information about a Jordanian Intelligence officer. 'This officer harmed the movement,' Abu Hassan was quoted as saying by Naji.
