AMMAN (Dispatches) – Jordanian intelligence recently foiled a plot by two suspected militants to mount terror attacks against U.S. and Zionist diplomats alongside U.S. troops deployed at a military base in the south of the country, state-owned al-Rai newspaper has reported.
It said the suspects had planned to drive vehicles into their targets and attack them with firearms and knives. They would stand trial in Jordan’s state security court, it added.
Militants from Daesh and other terrorist groups have long targeted the U.S.-allied kingdom and dozens of militants are currently serving lengthy prison terms.
King Abdullah, a Middle East ally of Western powers purportedly against militancy, has been among the most vocal leaders in the region in warning of threats posed by terrorist groups.
Several incidents over the past few years have jolted the Arab kingdom, which has been comparatively unscathed by the uprisings, civil wars and terrorism that have swept the Middle East since 2011.
Jordan claimed last year it had foiled a Daesh plot that included plans for a series of attacks on security installations, shopping malls and moderate religious figures. It arrested the suspects.