Jordan arrests senior Brotherhood member following anti-UAE comments

Jordanian security services have arrested the Deputy Comptroller General of the Muslim Brotherhood Zaki Bani Irsheid yesterday following comments he made against the UAE, a security source said.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “Security services arrested the deputy comptroller general of the Muslim Brotherhood following statements he made against the United Arab Emirates and its regulation of terrorist organisations, which include the Muslim Brotherhood.”

The source explained that “Bani Irsheid recently made statements to the press which included criticism of the UAE after it recently included the group in its list of terrorism organisations.”

Adding that the decision to arrest him “came in order to preserve the interests of Jordan and its relations, in addition to the presence of a large number of Jordanians in the UAE.”

Bani Irsheid is considered one of the most prominent leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, and has held the position for several years.

The spokesman for the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Brotherhood, Murad Adayleh, describing the move as an “abuse of the homeland and gagging mechanism”, especially as it comes against “a person who is known for being nationalistic and being loyal to his country”.

Adayleh continued: “In Jordan, the organisation works according to the law and the constitution, it has been part of the security and stability of the country for more than 70 years.”

In comments made last week, Bani Irsheid said the UAE “is the first sponsor of terrorism and practiced the worst kinds of political immaturity”.

He added that “the government of the UAE is the first sponsor of terrorism and it lacks legitimacy. It makes itself the exclusive guardian to confiscate the will of the people and this constitutes a breach of the nation’s identity and destruction to their interests and it practices the worst kind of political immaturity.”

Two months ago, Jordanian security forces arrested Mohammed Saeed Al Bakr, member of the Brotherhood’s Shura Council, charging him under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.