BICOM

Jordanian border guards arrested a man on Tuesday as he attempted to cross the border into Israel in a car carrying firebombs.

Apparently, the man failed to stop at a checkpoint and attempted to drive through roadblocks. Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted an anonymous source who claimed that the vehicle was confiscated and found to contain firebombs, which the driver “intended to use illegally”. A Jordanian army statement confirmed the arrest for “trying to cross the checkpoints on the road to a neighbouring country”.

The statement added: “Materials used to carry out illegal acts were found in the vehicle, and the driver admitted that he intended to use them.”

Meanwhile, Israeli business daily Globes reports that Israel began construction yesterday to reinforce a 30km section of the border fence with Jordan at the southern tip of the country. The segment north of Eilat will include security roads, observation towers, and operations rooms.

 

However, earlier this month a Jordanian citizen breached the border fence in the Jordan Valley, threw rocks at a travelling Israeli car and attempted to steal the vehicle. He was shot by a security guard from a nearby kibbutz. Just days later, Israeli authorities seized 20 pistols, five M-16 assault rifles, and other weapons as part of an operation halting smuggling from Jordan into Israeli territory. Two Palestinians waiting for the shipment in the West Bank were arrested.

It was reported a week ago that senior Israeli ministers approved a Defence Ministry plan to reinforce the border fence with Jordan, south of the Syrian border, in order to protect against potential terror infiltrations. In particular, it is designed to ease fears of booby-trapped cars crossing the border and cross-border shootings.

Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994 and have since enjoyed a mostly warm relationship, with the common border almost entirely quiet. It is thought that the two countries cooperate closely on security matters.