As external threats recede, Jordan left to face inner demons
Though attacks from across the border with Syria and Iraq are becoming less of a concern, experts say that the political, economic and cultural conditions in Jordan are perfect for home-grown extremism, a risk the government seems reluctant to address.
The deadly attack on an intelligence facility near Baqaa Palestinian refugee camp June 6, which claimed the lives of five people, including three officers, was heavily symbolic. The General Intelligence Department (GID), north of Amman, is Jordan’s most prestigious national security apparatus. It is in the forefront of the war against jihadis and other militants. It had been effective in preventing terrorist attacks against government and civilian targets. Its last such operation was in March, when special forces took down what was described as an Islamic State (IS) cell in the northern city of Irbid. All the cell members were Jordanians.
Until the general prosecutor issued a ban on publication of news on the attack last week, the government had released some information about the single assailant — who was caught on the same day with the help of citizens — and his motives. Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani told the official Jordanian news agency that the gunman was a Jordanian citizen and a resident of the nearby camp. Mahmoud al-Masharfeh, of Palestinian origin, was a jihadi sympathizer last arrested in 2014 when he tried to enter Gaza to join Jaish al-Islam, a branch of al-Qaeda. Momani told reporters, “Early indications are that this was an isolated act.”
