The former crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan announced on Saturday April 3 that he had been “Under house arrest” in his Amman palace, after being accused by the military of activities against “The security of the kingdom”.
In a video transmitted to the BBC by his lawyer, Prince Hamza claimed that the army chief of staff visited his home and told him that he was not “Not allowed to go out”. He denied having taken part in a conspiracy and accused his country’s authorities of ” corruption “ and D’“Incompetence”.
The state-run Petra news agency said earlier that authorities had arrested a former king’s adviser, Bassem Awadallah, and an unknown number of others for “Security reasons”, while the American daily Washington post for its part, reported a plot to overthrow the king.
“Complex plot”
In a statement, the Jordanian chief of staff, General Youssef Huneiti, had specified that Prince Hamza had been “Called to stop activities that could be used to undermine the stability and security of the kingdom”, but had denied his arrest. “No one is above the law. Jordan’s security and stability come first ”, General Huneiti had said. “All the measures that have been taken have been taken within the framework of the law and after a thorough investigation”, he added.
Videos on social media showed a massive deployment of police near the royal palaces in the Dabouq district of Amman.
According to Washington post, Prince Hamza is targeted by an investigation after “The discovery of what palace officials described as a complex and large-scale plot” aimed at overthrowing King Abdullah II. This plot “Included at least one other member of the royal family as well as tribal chiefs and members of the country’s security leadership”, he added, citing a senior Middle East intelligence official.
“I am not part of any plot or any evil organization”, defended the prince in the video, regretting that it is no longer possible, according to him, to express his opinion or to criticize the authorities “Without being intimidated, harassed or threatened”. Jordanian power thinks that “His personal interests, his financial interests, his corruption are more important than the life, the dignity and the future of the ten million people who live here”, again accused Prince Hamza. “Unfortunately, this country has descended into corruption, nepotism and maladministration, resulting in the annihilation or loss of hope.”, he continued.
Stripped of its title
Hamza is the eldest son of King Hussein and his American wife, Queen Noor, née Lisa Halaby. In accordance with the wishes of his father, who died in 1999, he was appointed crown prince when Abdallah became king. But in 2004, Abdallah stripped it of the title and gave it to his eldest son Hussein.
The person whose arrest agency Petra announced, Bassem Awadallah, was chief of staff to the king from 2007 to 2008 and then head of the Royal Court until 2008. This former minister of finance and planning was very close to the Jordanian ruler but also a controversial figure. Bassem Awadallah resigned from his post as head of the Royal Court in 2008 after being accused by some MPs and other politicians as well as journalists of interfering in the country’s privatization plans.
Two allies of Jordan quickly lent their support to King Abdullah II on Saturday. “We are monitoring the information closely and are in contact with Jordanian officials. King Abdullah is a key partner of the United States, and he has our full support ”, said US State Department spokesman Ned Price. In Saudi Arabia, the royal palace also tweeted from “His full support for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (…) and the decisions and measures taken by King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein to safeguard security and stability ” in the country.
The prince’s house arrest and arrests took place a few days before the celebration of the kingdom’s centenary. On April 11, 1921, King Abdullah, ruler of the new state of Transjordan, formed his first government, after the creation of the emirate in March 1921, alongside Palestine during the British Mandate.
