Fleeing Hamas member arrested in Jordan

Jordanian judicial sources said on Tuesday that a member of the political bureau of the Hamas resistance movement in Jordan, Ezzat al-Rashq, was arrested on Monday evening. He has been wanted by the Jordanian security forces after an arrest warrant was released against him at the end of August.

The Jordanian authorities are also searching for Muhammad Nazzakl, Hamas' representative in Amman, who is also wanted according to a similar arrest warrant and is still hidden.

In this respect, the member of the editing staff at the independent Jordanian daily al-Arab al-Youm, Samih al-Ma'yetah, was also arrested after al-Rashq was arrested at his house in al-Zarqa, 20 km northeast of Amman.

On September 22, the Jordanian authorities arrested three Hamas leaders --Ibrahim Ghoushe, Khaled Mashaal and Mousa Abu Marzouk-- and four of their aides upon return to Amman from Iran, in line with a judicial order.

Later, the Jordanian authorities expelled Abu Marzouk from Jordan because he does not carry Jordanian citizenship and brought the others before the court under several charges, among was were carrying out illegal activities.

At the end of August the Jordanian authorities closed the Hamas offices in Jordan and arrested 15 of its members.

On Tuesday the media spokesman for the Muslim Brothers group in Jordan, Jamil Abu Baker, said that the Jordanian authorities head earlier Tuesday released al-Ma'yetah. The release was at a "financial guarantee." The Jordanian authorities also released journalist Mahmoud al-Khatib, who works in UNRWA in Amman.

Abu Baker said in a statement to journalists that the Jordanian authorities on Monday night broke into al-Ma'yetah's house, where Ezzat al-Rashq was.

Abu Baker said that al-Rashq was inquired by the state's security attorney general and that he was treated badly.