MB-linked party office 'mistakenly' raided in Jordan by police

MB-linked party office 'mistakenly' raided in Jordan by police
Jordanian security forces 'mistakenly' raided the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islamic Action Front on Sunday after confusing it with the offices of the outlawed parent organisation
2 min read
18 April, 2016
Jordan is increasingly adopting a zero-tolerance policy with moderate Islamists as well as jihadists [AFP]

Jordanian security forces "mistakenly" raided the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islamic Action Front on Sunday after confusing it with the offices of the outlawed parent organisation, the government said.

Police raided the Islamic Action Front offices after they "mixed up" the IAF headquarters with those of the unlicensed parent group, according to government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani. He confirmed that the IAF was registered.

The government should "apologise for this action which touched the Islamic Action Front," IAF spokesman Murad Adaileh said.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan split in March 2015 into a pro-government "splinter" faction, which obtained an official license, and the mainstream faction on the back of ties to the international Muslim Brotherhood, especially the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

Over the past week, the government has shut down seven branches of the Islamist group across the kingdom, carrying out raids in the capital Amman and the cities of Jerash and Tafileh.

Read more:Jordan's crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood 'will drive it underground'

The Muslim Brotherhood, the region's oldest Islamist movement, and its affiliates won a series of electoral victories following the Arab Spring uprisings but provoked a backlash in several countries.

Egypt's first freely elected president, Mohammed Morsi, hailed from the Brotherhood, but was overthrown by the military in 2013 after a divisive year in power. Egypt later outlawed the group, branding it a terrorist organisation.