Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Monday that the arrest of Jordanian MP Imad al-Adwan, who is suspected of smuggling weapons to the West Bank, was "based on intelligence information."
Sunday's arrest at an Israeli-controlled border crossing threatened new strains on relations between Israel and Jordan that are often tested by Israel's policies toward the Palestinians and the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The Amman foreign ministry said al-Adwan was suspected of trying to smuggle arms and gold. Israeli police said only that a "security investigation" was underway.
"This is a very grave incident ... an attempt to smuggle not just commercial goods but weaponry as well," Cohen told Israel's Ynet TV.
"The basic demand is for him to be put on trial and pay the price," he said. "Such an incident cannot be allowed to pass."
There have been calls in Jordan's parliament for al-Adwan to be repatriated. Asked if Israel might make this conditional on a guarantee that he would face charges at home, Cohen said only that the two governments were discussing the matter.
"I don't necessarily think that this thing (al-Adwan's case) is linked to Jordan as a whole, but rather, comes down to a foolhardy criminal act," he said. "I don't want to ascribe blame to the entire government or entire parliament" of Jordan.
Jordanian sources had confirmed that al-Adwan had packed the weapons and gold in his car that holds a parliament license plate. He was traveling along the Allenby Bridge headed towards Palestinian territories.
Israeli media said the Shabak was investigating whether this was al-Adwan's first alleged smuggling attempt. It was probing who the arms were being delivered to, such as Palestinian factions.
