Jordan police say discover explosives stored in residential apartment

Police in Jordan said on Saturday they had uncovered and detonated explosives stored in a residential area of the capital and were investigating the incident.

The explosives, found in a home in the Marka neighbourhood northeast of the capital, were detonated onsite after the area was evacuated, according to a brief statement by the public security directorate. Witnesses said the area was sealed by police.

The statement did not say if police suspected it was terrorism related or if arrests were made, or detail the quantity of explosives. It added more details would be published once the investigation was complete.

Witnesses said the flat was nearly one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the Marka military airport used by US planes stationed in the kingdom, and by other coalition partners.

The explosives were discovered after civil defence authorities arrived at the flat following an explosion that was initially believed to have been caused by a gas leak, but may have been a botched attempt to manufacture explosives, former officials and security experts said.

"The indications all point it's a terrorist case and an incident related to radical groups that target the kingdom on the pretext of its stance on Gaza," said Saud Al-Sharafat, a former brigadier general in Jordanian intelligence.

US ally Jordan has over 3,500 American troops stationed in several bases and, since Israel's war on Gaza began in October, it has been increasingly targeted by Iranian-backed groups operating in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

Over the past year, Jordan has said it has foiled many attempts to smuggle weapons by parties linked to pro-Iranian militias in Syria.

Iran has denied being behind such attempts.

Many of the arms are bound for the neighbouring Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordanian officials say, adding they have arrested several Jordanians linked to Palestinian militants.

(Reuters)