Did Khaled Mashaal try to act against Jordan? The Jordanian authorities announced that the Hamas cell they arrested last week in the kingdom has been receiving orders from one of the movement's "top leaders, who is currently staying in Syria," to target Jordanian officials and facilities. It appears that this Hamas leader Jordan referred to is none other than head of the movement's politburo, Khaled Mashaal.
Arab World
Jordan: Hamas arms came from Syria / Reuters
PM Marouf Bakheet says weapons seized from secret Hamas arms cache in country were smuggled from Syria, but gives no details on how arms reached Jordan
Speaking to reporters, a spokesman for the Jordanian government failed to specify which Hamas official he was talking about, but sources familiar with the investigation told Lebanese newspaper al-Mustaqbal that local security forces managed to audiotape a conversation held between Mashaal and one of the cell's members.
In this conversation, the sources said, Mashaal noted that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has been brought up to date on all the details.
Hamas denies charges
A defense official added that the Jordanian security was currently investigating whether Hamas' attempt to operate in Jordan represents a strategic shift from the movement's traditional policy, which limited operations to the Palestinian territories and Israel.
"Building a clandestine infrastructure for carrying out actions against Israel from Jordan is one thing, while targeting the Jordanian security is another issue altogether," the official stated.
Hamas, on its part, denied the charges. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the group did not have any armed group "either in Jordan or in any other country."
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