Jordanian man crosses into Israel with knife, is arrested

A Jordanian man carrying a knife illegally crossed the border into Israel early Wednesday and was subsequently arrested, the Israel Defense Forces said.

IDF soldiers identified the overnight crossing in the northern Arava region, the military said.

The civilian was arrested, and a knife found on his person. He was taken in for questioning, the army said in a brief statement.

No additional details on the incident or the suspect were immediately available.

The border with Jordan is relatively quiet, one of only two internationally recognized borders Israel has, having signed peace treaties with it and with Egypt.

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In February, Israeli security forces foiled an apparent plot to smuggle 37 handguns into Israel from Jordan, arresting a Palestinian man from the Nablus area as he attempted to cross the border fence into northern Israel wearing a large backpack.

The border guards arrested the man shortly after he crossed into the northern Jordan Valley and found pistols of various types inside his bag, police said. The police arrested three other Palestinian suspects — all from the Nablus area — whom they believe were planning to pick up the suspect after he crossed the border.

Judah Ari Gross contributed to this report.