LOCKED & LOADED

Israel Arrests Lawmaker for Alleged Smuggling of Gold, Weapons: Jordan

Jerusalem said a Jordanian lawmaker was caught at a border crossing with a dozen assault rifles and 200 handguns, an incident likely to exacerbate diplomatic tensions.

A Jordanian member of parliament was arrested by Israeli security at a border crossing on suspicion of attempting to smuggle weapons and gold into the occupied West Bank, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday. In a tweet, the ministry wrote that it was “following up [on] the case of Representative Imad al-Adwan,” a 35-year-old lawmaker from the city of Salt, who was detained at Allenby Bridge for interrogation in the matter. Unverified video footage that later circulated on social media showed the alleged seized cache of roughly a dozen assault rifles and more than 200 handguns spread out on a floor, according to The Times of Israel. Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment to the Associated Press. Relations between Jordan and Israel, neighbors who inked a peace treaty in 1994, have decayed in recent months amid a surge of violence gripping the West Bank. More than 90 Palestinians and 18 Israelis have been killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year alone, according to the AP.