[ad_1]
Jordanian authorities arrested several influential Amman officials on Friday for security reasons, including a former adviser to King Abdullah, a member of the royal family, and arrested Hamza bin Hussein, an heir to the throne who had been warned by the head of the army of no security and stability of the country.
The actual and specific motive for the arrests is not yet known, but experts familiar with the case say there is a conspiracy to shake the country, the MTI wrote.
Two leaders, who asked that their names be withheld, told Reuters that security forces questioned King Abdullah’s half brother, former heir to the throne Hamza bin Hussein, at his home, but that he was not detained.
Al-Arabia news television and the BBC later released a video in which Hamza bin Hussein says that he is under house arrest in his own home and the authorities will not allow him to leave his home or contact anyone, including his family members. They took his cell phone and he does not have internet access either According to him, his bodyguards were arrested. The former heir to the throne declared that he had not participated in any conspiracy. Amman’s leaders say it is corrupt and unable to rule the country. Hamza said he was informed that he was being punished for attending a meeting that was critical of the king. Personally, he is not charged with this.
In a statement tonight, Yusef Huneiti, the army chief of staff, called on Hamza bin Hussein not to do anything that could undermine the security and stability of the Hashemite kingdom. According to the general, Sarif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family and former Finance Minister Basem Avadallah, a former adviser and confidant of the ruler, was detained in a larger ongoing investigation. Some more people were detained for security reasons. According to the Major General, the investigation is in full swing and the results will be made public in a totally transparent and clear manner.
“No one is above the law, the security and stability of Jordan takes precedence over everything else,” said the chief of staff, noting that the authorities had acted in accordance with the law.
The Washington Post was informed that the Jordanian authorities had detained almost 20 more people for threatening the stability of the state. According to a Washington official familiar with the domestic politics of Amman, the coercive measures were not due to an actual conspiracy, but because the people in question wanted to provoke protests so that the mass movements could be interpreted as a popular uprising with tribal support. The Jordanian tribes, predominant in the security forces and the army, form the mainstay of the Hashemite kingdom.
To strengthen his power, Abdullah revoked Hamza’s heir to the throne in 2004. Observers said he could not have posed a greater threat to the monarchy, given that it had been “sidelined” years ago. However, authorities are concerned about trying to establish ties with dissatisfied representatives of influential Jordanian tribes who have called anti-corruption protests in recent weeks. The authorities cracked down on several of those demonstrations and arrested dozens of protesters.
On Saturday night, the United States and several countries in the region – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Bahrain – also assured King Abdullah of their support and solidarity, defending security and stability.
In Jordan, an ally of Western countries, the arrest of high-ranking leaders and members of the royal family is rare. America’s ally King Abdullah has managed to bring political stability to the country and is considered a prominent Arab leader who is given his word, especially in Western forums.
[ad_2]
