The former crown prince of Jordan is accused of co …

The Jordanian government questioned Hamza bin Hussein on Sunday, former crown prince and half-brother of the monarch, Abdullah II, in a plot with “outside opposition” to “destabilize the country’s national security”. On Saturday, a major security operation resulted in the arrest of 16 people close to Jordanian power at one point, such as former royal adviser Bassem Awadalá, a former confidant of the monarch and former finance minister. In the midst of a strong crossing of statements the former crown prince published a video in which he assured that he was under house arrest (something the General Staff strongly denies) for their criticism of the current government.

The Jordanian security services “have long followed the activities and movements of Hamzah bin Hussein (…) and others which aimed at the security and stability of the homeland”said the Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, at an officer’s first press conference after Saturday’s arrest raid.

According to the inquiries, local authorities registered “contact with outside parties” to choose the “most appropriate moment to destabilize the security” of Jordan, in what Safadi called an attempt at “sedition”, but without forgetting that it was an attempted coup against the monarchy.

“There are no arrests of Jordanian military leaders and the military institution is part of the investigations. The operation to kill this sedition is over and now we are dealing with it legally.“, He said Safadi, although he added that “the investigations are still ongoing”.

The Jordanian chief of staff, General Yusef Huneiti, “met Prince Hamzah on Saturday to deliver this message and asked him to cease all movements and activities aimed at the security and stability of Jordan”. But the prince, according to Safadi, “He did not respond and treated this request in a negative way regardless of the interests of the state and its people.”.

The response from the Jordanian prince was not long in coming. “I am not responsible for the collapse of governance, corruption and incompetence that has prevailed in our governance structure. for 15 to 20 years and the situation has worsened. And I am not responsible for the lack of trust people have in their institutions, ”he said. Hamza bin Hussein in a video sent by his lawyer to the BBC network.

“It has reached a point where no one can speak or express their opinion about anything without being intimidated, arrested, harassed and threatened.”Hamza, 41, added to the recording. The prince is the eldest son of King Hussein and Queen Noor, whom he married in 1978 after divorcing two previous wives and widower of a third. When Abdullah was declared king upon Hussein’s death in February 1999, Hamzah was appointed crown prince, but in November 2004 that decision was overturned and his son, Abdullah II, was appointed.

The Kingdom of Jordan, which will celebrate its centenary on April 11, is a small country lacking in natural resources and heavily dependent on foreign aid. Washington and Gulf allies were quick to express their support for the pro-Western government in Amman, seen as a stabilizing pillar in the Middle East.

In the United States, State Department spokesman Ned Price said he was following developments “very closely”. “King Abdullah is a key ally of the United States and he has our full support,” he added. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have also shown support for the King of Jordan and all the measures that have been taken to ensure the stability of the country. same The European Union has said it is closely monitoring the situation in the country.

One of the most critical voices in Saturday’s operation was Queen Noor herself, widow of the late monarch Hussein I and mother of the former crown prince. “I pray that truth and justice will prevail for all innocent victims of this evil slander. God bless you and protect you, ”Noor said in a post on his Twitter account in which he made no explicit reference to any of those affected by the arrests.