Jordan.
Jordanian authorities said on Sunday that they had dismantled a plot to “destabilize” the kingdom, involving Prince Hamza bin Hussein, King Abdullah’s half-brother, and that they had arrested several suspects.
Hamza, Crown Prince until 2004, and others have been in contact with a foreign force to “destabilize Jordan’s security,” said Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi.
The stepbrother of King Abdullah II of Jordan, 41-year-old Prince Hamza, announced on Saturday that he had been placed under “house arrest” at his palace in Amman after being accused by the army of activities against “Security of the kingdom”.
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In a video sent to the BBC by his lawyer, the Jordanian prince said that the army chief of staff was at his home and told him that “he can’t go out”. He denied any involvement in the plot and accused the country’s authorities of “corruption” and “incompetence”.
On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi said that the security services “followed for a long time the activities and movements of Prince Hamza bin Hussein, Cherif Hasan ben Zaid and Basem Awadalá (former adviser to the king) and others. Against the security and stability of the homeland. “
“Investigations have made it possible to monitor interventions and contacts with foreign parties to destabilize Jordan’s security,” he continued.
Hamza is the eldest son of King Hussein and his American wife, Queen Noor. According to the wishes of his father, who died in 1999, he was named Crown Prince when Abdullah became king. But in 2004, Abdullah II withdrew the title and gave it to his eldest son Hussein.
Safadi said between 14 and 16 suspects were also detained.
According to him, the security services advised King Abdullah II to transfer all those involved to the State Security Court.
“Resentment”
On Twitter, Queen Noor on Sunday denounced a “slander” and said “let us pray that truth and justice prevail for all innocent victims.”
In a statement, the head of the Jordanian General Staff, General Yusef Huneiti, said that Prince Hamza had been “called to stop activities that could be used to undermine the stability and security of the kingdom”, but denied his arrest.
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“No one is above the law. Jordan’s security and stability come first. All the measures that have been taken have been within the law and after a thorough investigation,” he added.
A Jordanian analyst, who declined to give his name for security reasons, said that recently Prince Hamza “has stepped up his criticism of what he calls government corruption in his circle of friends.”
According to him, “there is some resentment on his part, because he never finished digesting the loss of the title of crown prince”.
The Kingdom of Jordan, which will celebrate its centenary on April 11, is a small country, lacking natural resources and heavily dependent on foreign aid.
Washington and the Gulf allies quickly expressed support for the pro-Western government in Amman, seen as a stabilizing pillar in the Middle East.
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In the United States, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the situation was being followed “very closely.”
“King Abdullah is a key ally of the United States and has our full support,” he added.
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have shown their support for the King of Jordan and all the measures that have been taken to ensure the country’s stability.
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi also called the king and assured him of “full solidarity” and “full support”, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.