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The former adviser to King Abdullah II of Jordan and a member of the royal family are among the many arrested in a large-scale operation to prevent a coup attempt in the country, world agencies reported.
These are Basem Awadala, a former finance minister, and Prince Sharif Hassan bin Zayed. Initially, information emerged that the king’s half-brother, former heir to the throne Hamza bin Hussein, was among those arrested, but was later refuted.
However, they confirmed that Prince Hamza had been ordered to suspend all his actions, which could serve to direct the “security and stability” of the country.
High-level political arrests are rare in Jordan, a key US ally in the Middle East.
The kingdom has a powerful intelligence agency that has been given new powers since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. This has sparked a wave of criticism from human rights groups across the country and around the world.
According to the BBC, Bassem Avadala is an American-educated economist, and for some time he was one of the king’s trusted people. He is also seen as a driving force behind Jordan’s economic reforms and attempts to significantly ease the country’s heavy bureaucracy (to no avail).
The news of the possible intervention of Prince Hamza, the eldest son of the late King Hussein and Queen Noor, is important information. The announcement of the call by the military to stop any action that could damage the security and stability of the country, speaks of a potential interference of the nobleman in the attempted coup.
King Abdullah stripped Hamza of the title of heir to the throne in 2004. This was seen as a blow to the dowager queen Nur, who was hoping to see her eldest son on the throne of Jordan.
Prince Hamza, who was 24 at the time, was a favorite of the late King Hussein, who often publicly described him as “the delight of my eyes.” However, he was perceived as too young and inexperienced to succeed his father after his death.
Prince hamza
Jordan is a key ally of the United States and assists US forces in security operations. The kingdom is also a partner in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State terror group.
The country has few natural resources and its economy has been hit hard by the pandemic. The kingdom also absorbed waves of refugees from the civil war in neighboring Syria.
