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MORE ARRESTED: Jordanian authorities arrested several people on Saturday. At least one of them has close ties to King Abdullah II. Photo: Yousef Allan / The Royal Hashemite Court
The Jordanian authorities are said to have arrested nearly 20 people for security reasons. While authorities say the king’s half brother escaped with a warning, he himself claims that he has been placed under house arrest.
Earlier Saturday, the Washington Post reported that King Abdullah II’s half-brother and former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein were among those arrested, according to an intelligence source.
The Jordanian authorities subsequently denied that Prince Hamzah had been arrested. But according to the state news agency Petra, he received a warning.
The prince himself says in a video to the BBC that he has been placed under house arrest.
In the video, he claims that he is not allowed to go out, meet or communicate with people as “the government or the king” has been criticized in connection with meetings the prince previously attended.
Hamzah says that he himself has not been accused of criticizing the authorities. In the video, however, he accuses the country’s leaders of, among other things, corruption and incompetence.
Jordanian Army Chief of Staff Yousef Huneiti says Hamzah has been asked to “stop some movements and activities that have been used to affect Jordan’s security and stability.”
Hamzah is the eldest son of the late King Hussein and his fourth wife, Queen Noor. He was crown prince for four years until the current King Abdullah relieved him of his duties in 2004. The crown prince welcomed the king’s eldest son, Hussein.
The Petra news agency reports that Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a former royal envoy to Saudi Arabia and former chief of staff, planning minister and finance minister Basem Ibrahim Awadallah are among those arrested.
It is currently unclear what they are charged with, but Petra cites a security source that “security reasons” are the background to the arrests.
Chief of Staff Huneti confirms that an investigation is underway.
“No one is above the law, and Jordan’s safety and stability are a top priority,” he told Petra.
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New report: more than 200 detainees since Bin Salman came to power
According to the Washington Post intelligence source, an alleged coup attempt against the current king, Abdullah II, is under investigation. The newspaper quoted a source close to the court as saying that the background was a “threat to the stability of the country.”
Jordan is among the most stable countries in the region and has long been an important ally of Western countries. However, the country has a powerful intelligence service that, according to Reuters, has gained greater influence since the introduction of crisis laws as a result of the corona outbreak in 2020.
