Jordanian police find explosives in Amman apartment

Explosives were detonated on site after area was evacuated

Jordanian police said on Saturday they had uncovered and detonated explosives stored in a residential area of the capital. Reuters

Jordanian police 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 north-east of the capital, were detonated on site after the area was evacuated, according to a brief statement by the public security directorate.

Witnesses said the area was sealed off by police.

The statement did not say whether police suspected the case was terrorism-related or if arrests were made, or detail the quantity of explosives.

"The case is under investigation and details will be announced once it is done," police said.

Over the past year, Jordan has said it has foiled many attempts to smuggle weapons by infiltrators linked to pro-Iranian militias in Syria, who it says have crossed its borders with rocket launchers and explosives, adding that some of the weapons managed to get through undetected.

Iran has denied being behind such attempts.

Most of the clandestine flow of arms into the country has been bound for the neighbouring Israeli-occupied West Bank, Jordanian officials say.

There have also been arrests of several Jordanians linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas suspected of involvement in smuggling arms to the West Bank, they said.