An Iraqi man with links to the Iranian regime’s Quds Force who was recently detained in Jordan as part of a major anti-terrorism operation had previously spied on Iranian refugees in Norway, the Norwegian security services have announced.Jordan’s security forces thwarted a major terrorist plot by the Iranian regime’s Quds Force, a judicial source in Amman said on Monday. Large quantities of explosives were seized in the operation which took place in April.
Local reports identified the suspect as Khalid Kazem al-Rubaie, 49, who holds dual Iraqi-Norwegian citizenship.
The accused was planning to carry out a ‘terrorist operation’ on Jordanian soil, according to the Jordanian daily Al-Rai. Following his arrest large quantities of explosives were found in his possession in northern Jordan.
The Norwegian security force PST (Politiets sikkerhetstjeneste) said on Tuesday that it had al-Rubaie under surveillance for spying on Iranian refugees living in Norway.
The Norwegian daily Dagbladet wrote that al-Rubaie previously lived in Iran and his family have been living there for the past 30 years.
The Jordanian State Security Court on Monday began a military tribunal, headed by military judge Colonel Mohammad al-Afif, in the case of al-Rubaie who stands accused of being in possession of highly explosive materials and preparing for a terrorist operation in Jordan.
The Al-Rai daily quoted an informed source as saying that 45 kilograms of highly explosive substances was found in al-Rubaie’s possession at a house in the Saqreh Osfur district of Jerash, northern Jordan.
The source said that this was the biggest confiscation of explosive materials in the country in the past 10 years.
The Quds Force is the extra-territorial branch of the Iranian regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
