Report: Jordan Eyes Extradition of 2001 Jerusalem Sbarro Bomber, Urges Alternative Host Nation
Jordan has reportedly informed Hamas that it plans to deport Ahlam Tamimi—the convicted mastermind behind the 2001 Sbarro’s suicide bombing in Jerusalem—unless a third country agrees to take her in. According to Qatari outlet Al-Araby al-Jadeed, Jordanian intelligence authorities notified Hamas on Sunday of the impending move, a decision that could finally bring a measure of long-delayed justice to the families of the 16 victims killed in the August 9, 2001 attack.
Tamimi, who was convicted in an Israeli court for orchestrating the bombing that also injured 130 people, was released in 2011 as part of the prisoner exchange deal for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit. Since then, she has lived freely in Jordan—where she holds citizenship—hosting television programs, giving lectures, and making public appearances in which she has praised the bombing.
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In 2017, the US Justice Department announced its intention to extradite her, a move strongly supported by the family of Malki Roth, one of the victims who held both Israeli and American citizenship. The United States had charged her in 2013 with conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against American nationals, although an Interpol arrest warrant was reportedly dropped in 2021.
The report on Tamimi’s potential deportation coincides with renewed diplomatic activity in the region. The White House recently announced plans to host Jordan’s King Abdullah II for talks with US President Donald Trump on February 11. This meeting comes as Amman seeks to maintain favorable ties with Washington, despite earlier reluctance to accommodate Trump’s proposal regarding the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza.
Neither Jordanian officials nor Hamas have confirmed the report.
