General Intelligence Department

General Intelligence Directorate (GID)

دائرة المخابرات العامة
Official Seal of the GID
Agency overview
Formed	1952
Preceding agency	General Investigation Department
Headquarters	Amman, Jordan
Annual budget	Classified
Agency executive	General Adnan Al-Jundi, Director
Website	http://www.gid.gov.jo

Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate, or GID (Arabic: دائرة المخابرات العامة) is the intelligence agency of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and a branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces. The GID is reportedly one of the most important and professional intelligence agencies in the Middle East; the agency has historically foiled several terrorist attacks in Jordan and around the world.

Before establishing GID, the department was known as the General Investigation Department (دائرة المباحث العامة) from 1952 to 1964.

GID was established in accordance with Act 24 of the year 1964 which went through all its constitutional stages.

The GID Director is appointed by royal decree, itself the result of a decision made by the Counsel of Ministers. On January 2, 2009, King Abdullah II replaced Muhammad Dahabi (brother of Nader Dahabi) as director with General Muhammad Raqqad, the former GID director. In 2012, Muhammad Dahabi was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. Officers are also appointed by royal decree upon the recommendation of the Director General; they all have university degrees in different majors and must go through a thorough security check before joining the service.

According to Jordanian sources, the current GID Officer in the Royal Court is Zeid bin al-Hussein, who advises the King on issues related to recruitment. Other officers in the GID include Shafiq Al-Athamneh, Fawzi Al-Ma'aytah, Farraj Adeeb Farraj, Fawaz al-Fares al-Abadi, Jamil Samawi, Fawaz al-Khalaylah and the directorate's founder, Mohammad Rasoul al Kailani. The former GID officer in the Jordanian embassy in Tel-Aviv was Hussein al-Abadi.

The duties of the GID is specified in law and consists of protecting the internal and external security of the Kingdom through carrying out necessary intelligence operations, and executing duties assigned by the Prime Minister in writing.

As quoted from the official GID Site, their mission is

to contribute to the safeguarding of the Kingdom and the Nation under the Hashemite leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II bin al Hussein, as well as protecting the freedoms of the Jordanian people and preserving a democratic form of government. It is our objective to share with others the responsibility of building the proper grounds that leads to create an environment of security and stability, which will reflect prosperously on all sectors of the Nation, providing the confidence to all types of local and foreign investors to operate in a reliable and secure atmosphere.