Jordan and US in talks to extradite alleged Jerusalem Sbarro bomber

US officials have entered talks with Jordan about extraditing a high-profile Jordanian citizen who was convicted by an Israeli court for assisting in a deadly attack in Jerusalem, Middle East Eye can reveal.

The discussions come at a critical time for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which has banned the Muslim Brotherhood and is wary of its citizens’ anger at Israel over the war in Gaza. Jordan and Israel have had a peace treaty since 1994.

The extradition of Ahlam Tamimi is being discussed as part of a broader package of deals that Jordan hopes will allow it to obtain more US economic assistance, which has been curtailed with the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

“Jordan is trying to show the Trump administration it is still relevant to its world view,” a senior western source familiar with the sensitive negotiations told MEE. 

“The old adage that aid is needed to stabilise Jordan for the sake of the region does not fly anymore,” the source added.

One result is Jordan taking on a bigger role in participating in operations against the Islamic State in Syria, as US troops withdraw from the country’s northeast, the source added.

Reuters previously reported that Syria’s counterterrorism authorities and US representatives were holding talks in Amman.

However, the case of Tamimi may be the most sensitive for the kingdom, as it touches on domestic politics and the fate of a Jordanian national.

Muslim Brotherhood crackdown

Tamimi was imprisoned for her role in the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing in Jerusalem, which killed 15 people, including seven children. She was sentenced to 16 life terms but freed in a 2011 prisoner exchange with Hamas. After her release, she lived in Jordan, where she has regularly made media appearances.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed news outlet reported in February that Jordan told Hamas to find a country to relocate Tamimi, or it would be forced to extradite her.

The discussions between US officials and Jordan since then over Tamimi’s fate in the broader context of currying favour for US aid relief have not been reported previously.

The US sees an opening for Tamimi’s extradition since Jordan banned the Muslim Brotherhood in April, the source added.

The Brotherhood’s political arm in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), is the kingdom’s main opposition party and has a history of accommodating the Hashemite Monarchy.

The IAF’s office was raided recently, and some observers believe the party’s licence could be revoked altogether.

Jordan accused the Muslim Brotherhood of planning to carry out attacks in the country, an announcement that came a week after security services said they had arrested 16 people accused of stockpiling weapons and planning to destabilise the kingdom.

One US official familiar with the raids confirmed to MEE all the weaponry seized in several locations but said that the arms could have been destined for the occupied West Bank and not necessarily directed at the monarchy. The move, however, did not surprise US officials who expected a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood in advance, the official added.

Tamimi’s status became a lightning rod in US-Jordan ties during the first Trump administration.

King Abdullah II was able to sidestep the first Trump administration’s request to extradite Tamimi, who is on the FBI’s most wanted list. Two US citizens were killed in the Sbarro pizzeria bombing.

The Associated Press reported in 2020 that the White House weighed withholding or cutting military aid to Jordan to obtain Tamimi.

The US embassy in Jordan did not respond to MEE’s request for comment by the time of publication. 

Jordan’s quest for aid

King Abdullah and Trump had a generally good meeting at the White House in February, US and regional officials familiar with their talks told MEE.

Following the meeting, Abdullah was credited by Egypt with dissuading Trump from pursuing his plan for the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and its US “takeover.” 

However, Jordan has already suffered a steep cut in financial assistance.

The State Department said in 2023 that Jordan received almost $1.7bn in aid. Of that, just $425m was foreign military aid. The kingdom receives roughly $770m in direct cash payments.

According to a report by S&P Global assessing Jordan’s credit in March, the shutdown of USAID alone would endanger about $300m in disbursements to the kingdom.

Jordan has been trying to obtain additional aid from Gulf States, diplomats and analysts say. 

Saudi Arabia has tightened its purse strings in recent years.

Meanwhile, the UAE’s influence in Jordan has grown. But assistance has come in the form of investments, not aid. In 2024, the UAE and Jordan signed a $2.4bn deal to build a railroad from Aqaba to the Dead Sea.

The UAE’s ruling al-Nahyan family views the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to its rule and has attempted to stamp the movement out across the region.