Jordan king says militant groups smuggling drugs, arms should be confronted

Jordan's King Abdullah said on Thursday that militant groups that smuggle drugs and arms should be confronted.

The U.S.-allied kingdom foiled a suspected Iranian-led plot to smuggle weapons to help opponents of the ruling monarchy carry out acts of sabotage, two Jordanian sources with knowledge of the matter earlier told Reuters.

An official source told state news agency PETRA on Wednesday that the kingdom had in fact foiled an attempt by "foreign-backed militants" to smuggle arms into its territory, seized the arms and detained the smugglers in March.

"We should confront armed militant groups who commit crimes above the law, especially smuggling drugs and arms which is what Jordan has been thwarting for years now," the king said at an Arab League summit held in Manama.