Jordan, coup attempt: two senior officials arrested close to King Abdallah II

High-level arrests are underway in Jordan for security reasons. This was reported by the official Petra agency which cites security sources according to which among the people arrested are Sharif Hassan Bin Zaid and Basem Ibrahim Awad Allah. The first – according to press sources – is linked to Prince Ali Ben Hussein, brother of the king, while the second was the head of the Royal House. According to the Washington Post, Prince Hamza, eldest son of the late King Husseim and half-brother of King Abdallah II, was also placed under house arrest. However, the official Petra news agency explains that “Prince Hamza bin Al-Hussein is neither under house arrest nor detained”. According to Petra, the arrests – about twenty – took place “after careful monitoring of security”. The source cited by the agency then explained that “an investigation is underway”. Some international media speak of “a threat to the stability of the country”. However, two senior officials certainly end up in handcuffs: Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, the former envoy of the Royal House in Saudi Arabia, and Basem Ibrahim Awadallah, former head of the Royal Court. Previously Awadallah had also worked as a Minister of Planning and Minister of Finance. As for, however, the former crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah of Jordan, Hamza, according to Reuters – is currently under interrogation in his home “.