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Jordanian authorities searched former Crown Prince Hamzah bin Hussein at his home and arrested 20 others on Saturday, authorities said, “a threat to the stability of the country,” he said. The Washington Post.
Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, the eldest son of former King Hussein of Jordan and his fourth wife, Queen Noor, of American descent, has been placed under house arrest at his palace in Amman, following an ongoing investigation into an alleged plot to overthrow King Abdullah II.
Read also: Hamzah bin Hussein from Jordan, under house arrest, sent a message to the West: “They cut my internet and phone lines.”
The Washington Post cites as a source of information a high-ranking official of an intelligence service in the Middle East who is aware of the events.
High-ranking Jordanian army officers arrived at the palace escorted by guards while the other arrests were in full swing, informing Prince Hamzah that he was not allowed to leave his home.
Royal Palace officials say they have uncovered a complex and branching plot involving at least one member of the Jordanian royal family, as well as tribal leaders and members of the country’s security services.
Further arrests are expected, the operation is ongoing, the official quoted by the official said on condition of anonymity. Washington Post.
A Jordanian adviser to the Palace confirmed that the arrests were related to a “threat to the stability of the country,” the US publication mentions.
Jordan, a close ally of the United States
Prince Hamzah was heir to the Crown for four years, after which the title was transferred to Abdullah, the eldest of the former King Hussein’s sons.
It is unclear how close the conspirators were to carrying out their plan or what they were going to do. Source The Washington Post however, he says the plan was “well organized” and that the conspirators appeared to have “external ties.”
Other people arrested include Sharif Hasan bin Zaid, also a member of the royal family, and Bassem Awadullah, a Saudi national who was a former finance minister. The latter, an American-educated economist, was an adviser to the king and an influential voice for Jordan’s economic reforms, but was often affected by resistance from the government bureaucracy.
Jordan, a close ally of the United States, has been hit hard economically by the Covid-19 pandemic, but also by massive waves of refugees from Syria, its northern neighbor.
King Abdullah of Jordan has ruled the kingdom since the death of his father, former King Hussein of Jordan, in 1999, and has had good relations with all the presidents of the United States. The kingdom of 10 million people, with limited resources, is an important partner of the United States in the campaign against the Islamic State group and has assisted American forces in operations around the world, it notes. The Washington Post.
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is scheduled to visit the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on Sunday, at the invitation of his counterpart, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, with talks aimed at deepening and diversifying bilateral relations, according to a MFA statement.
Editor: Luana Pavaluca
