Arrests at the heart of Jordan's royal power
Prince Hamza of Jordan, half-brother of King Abdullah, and his wife, Princess Basma, at their wedding in January 2012. AFP - YOUSEF ALLAN
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At least two people very close to the royal family in Jordan were arrested on Saturday for "
security reasons
".
In a video communicated to the BBC, Prince Hamza, half-brother of the king and former crown prince, says he is "
under house arrest
" and refutes any attempted coup.
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Videos on social media showed a massive deployment of police near the royal palaces in the Dabouq district of Amman.
According to the state-run Petra news agency, authorities arrested a former king's adviser, Bassem Awadallah, and others for "
security reasons
."
The American daily
Washington Post
indicated for its part that Prince Hamza had been "
placed under restrictions
" in his palace in Amman after "
the discovery of what officials of the palace described as a complex and large-scale plot
", aimed at overthrowing King Abdullah II.
This alleged plot "
included at least one other member of the royal family as well as tribal chiefs and members of the country's security directorate
," he added, citing a senior intelligence official in the Middle East. East.
But in a statement, the chairman of the chiefs of staff, General Youssef Huneiti, denied that Prince Hamza was one of those arrested.
“
What has been published about the arrest of Prince Hamza is not true,
” he said, adding that, however, he had been “
called upon to stop activities which could be used to undermine to the stability and security of the kingdom
”.
Prince Hamza communicates
In the evening, the former crown prince sent a video to the BBC in which he declared himself "
under house arrest
".
He claims that the army chief of staff came to his home and told him that he was "
not allowed to go out
".
He assured that he had not taken part in any conspiracy and that he was "
not responsible for the degradation of governance, corruption and incompetence
" of the authorities of his country.
When Abdullah became king in February 1999 after the death of his father Hussein, he appointed Hamza crown prince in accordance with their father's wishes.
But in 2004, he stripped it of the title and gave it to his eldest son Hussein.
Hamza is the eldest son of Hussein and his American wife, Queen Noor, née Lisa Halaby.
“
No one is above the law.
Jordan's security and stability come first,
”General Huneiti said, adding that an investigation was underway.
"
All the measures that have been taken have been taken within the framework of the law and after a thorough investigation
," he added.
American and Saudi support
As for Bassem Awadallah, former Minister of Finance and Planning, he was very close to the Jordanian king but also a controversial figure in Jordan.
He was head of the Royal Court from 2007 to 2008, notably with Cherif Hassan ben Zaid.
He eventually resigned his post as head of the Royal Court after coming under heavy criticism for his alleged interference in controversial political and economic issues.
He had been accused by some deputies and other politicians as well as by journalists of interfering in the plans of privatization of the country.
Two allies of Jordan quickly lent their support to King Abdullah II.
The first support is American.
“
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.
The second is from Riyadh.
The Saudi Royal Palace tweeted
its
"
full support for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (...) and for the decisions and measures taken by King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein to safeguard security and stability
" in the country.
The news of the arrests comes a few days before the kingdom's centenary celebration.
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.
(
With
AFP)
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