Authorities reopen 2018 Irbid robbery case after arresting main suspect — official

AMMAN — The State Security Court (SSC) prosecutor is expected to start questioning two men who allegedly robbed a bank in Irbid in August 2018 at gun point while wearing women’s clothing, official sources announced over the weekend.

The main suspect in the case allegedly entered the bank on August 1, 2018, fully dressed in women’s clothing (khimar), and pointed a gun at an employee before escaping with JD9,547 in cash, Police Spokesperson Col. Amer Sartawi told The Jordan Times. 

No one was injured during the incident.

According to Sartawi, the police chief has tasked specialised teams to investigate cold cases.

"The task team was following up on possible leads and recently, they received a tip-off about a man who is suspected of committing several robberies and has a similar description to the man who robbed the Irbid bank two years ago," he said.

Investigators summoned the main suspect, who "confessed to robbing the bank with the help of two other men".

"Police arrested one man and are searching for a second suspect," the police official added.

The arrested suspect was identified by one of the bank employees in a police lineup, according to a statement by the Public Security Directorate.

The suspect will be questioned by the SSC prosecutor in the coming days, the police official said.

The SSC has been handing sentences of a minimum of 15 years in prison to bank robbers because “attacks on financial establishments in the Kingdom endanger the safety of society, disturb public order, spread fear among citizens, endanger the lives of bank employees and jeopardise economic resources”.