Jordanian police find explosives in residential apartment - report

Police in Jordan said on Saturday they had discovered and detonated explosives stored in a crowded residential area of the capital close to a military airport used by US army planes, and that they were investigating the incident.

The explosives in a home in the Marka neighbourhood northeast of the capital were detonated at the site after the area was evacuated, according to a statement from the public security directorate.

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

Witnesses said the apartment was nearly one kilometre (0.6 miles) from the Marka military airport used by U.S. 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.