The Jordanian Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein revealed that he was under house arrest and his private guard was arrested, amid the Jordanian authorities arresting figures, including the former head of the royal court, Bassem Ibrahim Awad Allah, and others, for security reasons whose details have not yet been revealed.
Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein said in a video, "I am surprised that my simple criticism of the country's policies has led to my being detained," adding that "the army commander told me to stay at my home and not to contact anyone."
He added in the video, "I am not a cause of the devastation and destruction that affected the institutions," as he said, "I am not part of any conspiracy or alliance, and what I care about is the national interest."
The Jordanian authorities have arrested figures, including the former chief of the royal court, Bassem Ibrahim Awad Allah, and others, for security reasons, the details of which have not yet been revealed.
The Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement that he had asked Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein - the half-brother of King Abdullah II - to stop any activities used to target security.
For his part, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Major General Yusef Ahmed Al-Huneiti, denied today, Saturday, "allegations about the arrest of Prince Hamzah, but he indicated that he was asked to stop the movements and activities used to target Jordan's security and stability within the framework of comprehensive joint investigations carried out by the security services."
A statement by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Major General Yusef Ahmed Al-Huneiti, stated that as a result of these investigations, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, Basem Ibrahim Awad Allah, and others had been arrested.
He stated that investigations are continuing, and their results will be disclosed with full transparency and clarity.
He also stressed that all the measures that were taken were carried out within the framework of the law and after extensive investigations that required them, and he stressed that no one is above the law, and that Jordan's security and stability take precedence over any consideration.
The arrest of Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, Basem Awad Allah and others for security reasons https://t.co/3SzKcWHzln# Petra
- Jordan News Agency (@Petranews) April 3, 2021
Earlier, the official news agency (Petra), according to an unnamed security source, reported the arrest of Awadallah and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid and others, and that the investigation is underway into the matter without specifying the reasons for the arrest and the details of the security follow-up that led to that.
In the same context, the American Washington Post reported that the Jordanian authorities are holding Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein and 20 others because of what they said is a threat to the country's stability, but the official Jordanian News Agency quoted informed sources as saying that Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein is not arrested. It is not subject to any restrictive measures.
The Washington Post also quoted officials at the Jordanian royal palace that what they described as a conspiracy also included tribal leaders and security officials.
The newspaper added, quoting Jordanian officials, as saying that a complex and far-reaching conspiracy involved a member of the royal family.
Common strength
The director of the Al-Jazeera office in Amman, Hassan al-Shobaki, said that the arrests were made by a joint force of the military security and intelligence apparatus and under the direct supervision of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who represents the leadership of the army, which indicates - according to him - that the matter is great and honorable for the participation of these major security and military forces in Jordan. .
He mentioned that the Jordanian official news agency published a tweet denying the arrest of Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein, then deleted it and re-published it again by adding Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein's description of His Royal Highness, and this indicates the decision-maker in Jordan's keenness to not touch Prince Hamzah with a hadith here and there.
He added that the raids that accompanied the arrests today took place in different areas of the capital and in the outskirts, noting that there is a heavy security presence in the Dabouq area, west of the capital, Amman, which is the area near the royal palaces.
And he expected the official authorities to provide detailed clarifications on this issue, which is of concern to the public opinion inside the country in the coming hours.
For his part, former Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister Mamdouh Al-Abadi ruled out in an interview with Al-Jazeera that there would be a coup attempt in Jordan.
He pointed out that Prince Hamzah had different views at times, but it would never come to a mere thought of a coup.
He added that this is confirmed by what was mentioned shortly before the official denial of any arrest or detention of Prince Hamzah bin Al-Hussein, and the assertion that he is not subject to any restrictive measures.
In turn, the former Jordanian Parliament Speaker Saad Hayel Al-Sorour said in an interview with Al-Jazeera that in this atmosphere there are many rumors and stories, whether those related to the topic or that are a figment of the imagination, and it is not possible until now to confirm any of the assumptions that the media talked about pending the issuance of Official clarifications.
Regarding the two personalities whose arrest has been announced so far, Al-Sorour stated that he has no information about Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, as for Basem Ibrahim Awad Allah, he is a controversial figure and people disagree about him inside Jordan, while some view his performance positively, there are many who say otherwise. .
He said that, on a personal level, he was at odds with him, and believed that he had made big mistakes in the past that deserved accountability, but that he could not relate this to what was stated in the Washington Post report.