Teenagers caught in connection with mosque vandalism

AMMAN — Police on Wednesday caught three minors over their suspected involvement in the vandalism of a mosque in Irbid, some 80km north of Amman, recently.

"Investigations led to three 12-year-old suspects who confessed to vandalising the mosque after escaping from school," a source from the Public Security Department (PSD) media centre told The Jordan Times. 

The minors will be referred to court, the source added on condition of anonymity. 

"We received a tip from a citizen informing us about the incident. Our team arrived at the scene to find that the mosque's facilities were in a complete mess," the PSD source said.

After the incident, the Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement that described the occurrence as "odd" and "dangerous".

"It violates the sanctity of the holy site… the perpetrators tampered with the mosque's belongings, including copies of the Koran," said the statement. 

The movement urged the authorities not to overlook such incidents, as this "encourages extremists and advocates of secularism and atheism to disrespect holy sites that represent the identity of Jordan".