New confessions reveal deeper details of Brotherhood-linked missile plot in Jordan

Jordanian authorities have dismantled a covert operation aimed at producing missile components within the Kingdom, based on detailed confessions from a group of men linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

The suspects—civil engineers and business affiliates—outlined in recorded interviews how the plan was developed over several years, with foreign training, smuggled funds, and the construction of specialized workshops.

At the center of the operation is 35-year-old Abdullah Hisham Ahmed Abdel Rahman, a civil engineer who says he was first approached in 2021 by a Brotherhood member named Ibrahim. “He presented me with a specific job idea, and I agreed in principle,” Abdullah said. “After a while, he explained to me that there would be missile production in Jordan, and I would provide him with part of the structure, including the metal frame.”

Abdullah says he recruited his cousin, Moaz Abdul Hakim Hassan Al-Ghanem, also an engineer, to help with the project. At Ibrahim’s request, the two traveled to Lebanon, where they met a man identified only as Abu Ahmed. “It turned out he was responsible for the whole story,” Abdullah said, referring to him as the project’s coordinator.

The pair were trained in a workshop in Lebanon to use lathes and CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines. “There were technicians who taught us… how to operate the machines so they would work on them, in addition to producing something that we didn’t need to use in Jordan,” Abdullah confessed.

Moaz echoed the account, saying, “We went to Lebanon and met a man named Abu Ahmed there, and he presented us with the idea of manufacturing missile bodies in Jordan.”

Following the training, Abdullah and Moaz returned to Jordan and began acquiring equipment. They rented a warehouse in Zarqa, sourced raw materials locally, and began building a workspace to house the machines. Abdullah explained, “We rented a warehouse and started to secure materials and simple numbers… The money was also for the machines and other things. Ibrahim was securing it for me at this stage.”

Part of the funding came through Abdullah’s uncle, Mohsen Hassan Mohammed Al-Ghanem, a 52-year-old businessman and longtime Brotherhood member in Zarqa. “Abdullah came to me in 2022 and asked me to transfer his money. I asked him why. He told me, ‘I’m working on a secret project,’” Mohsen recalled.

Mohsen said he eventually met Ibrahim, who handed him USD 20,000 to deliver to Abdullah. Over the course of several months, Mohsen delivered additional funds—including USD 7,000 and USD 10,000—after meeting unidentified individuals. “After talking, I found out that he was working on a project for a model rocket or a rocket frame,” Mohsen admitted.

He bought land in the Al Nuqairah area and began constructing a larger, more concealed warehouse. “I suggested to Abu Ahmed that if the business goes well, we should expand this warehouse and move there, as it will be safer,” Abdullah said.

Moaz confirmed he helped move materials to the new site and participated in “maintenance, electrical, and sanitary work” as part of the setup. He added, “Abdullah came to me and told me that he bought the machines and that they were in a warehouse in Zarqa… After that, I visited the place two or three times to organize the place and recall what we learned in Lebanon.”

Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate (GID) has since confiscated the equipment, shut down the facilities, and referred all involved to the State Security Court.