AMMAN – Deputy Prime Minister and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Sunday that the half-brother of re Abdallah and former crown prince, the principe Hamza, collaborated with “foreigners and opponents” to order a conspiracy and destabilize the country and therefore had been under investigation for some time.
Plot at court, Jordan accuses the king’s half-brother
by Francesca Caferri
On Saturday, the military said it had warned the prince for actions aimed at compromising the “security and stability” of the main ally of the United States. Prince Hamza later said he was in custody. Several high-profile figures were arrested, “between 14 and 16” according to Safadi, but “not military”.
The Amman authorities did not report the number of people arrested or their identities, except for Bassem Awadallah, former Minister of Finance and former Crown Chief of Staff, e Sharif Asan bin Zaid, member of the royal family.
Safadi specified that the security services have requested that those involved in the plot be referred to the State Security Court.
The video-selfie of Prince Hamza
In a selfie video published by Bbc, the crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah of Jordan, Hamza, claims he is under house arrest. “This morning I received a visit from the Chief of Staff of the Jordanian army, who informed me that I am not authorized to leave the house, to communicate with people or to meet them because some events in which I took part – also through social media – there has been criticism of the government or the king, “Hamza said, stating that he was not accused.
Jordan, former crown prince Hamza in a video: “I’m under house arrest”
“I am not the person responsible for the crisis of governance, corruption and incompetence that has prevailed in the structure of our government over the last 15-20 years and I am not responsible for the lack of trust in institutions on the part of citizens,” adds Hamza in the video. sent to the UK broadcaster by his lawyer.
Without official duties, Hamza, 41, is the eldest son of Queen Nur, the fourth wife of the deceased. re Hussein, which he had conceived Abdallah II with his second wife, la Princess Muna. Hamza was appointed crown prince in 1999 in line with Hussein’s last wishes, but in 2004 Abdallah II stripped him of the title to assign it to his eldest son Hussein bin Abdullah.
The investigation into the involvement of foreign forces
Safadi attacked the videos released by Prince Hamzah accusing him of having “distorted the facts, invoking local and foreign sympathy”. “The people around Prince Hamzah – he added – communicated with entities that defined themselves as ‘external opposition'”.
“The investigations monitored interference and communications with foreign parties to identify the right moment to destabilize Jordan,” Safadi said at a press conference. The foreign parties included an intelligence agency in contact with Prince Hamza’s wife to arrange a flight for the couple to leave Jordan, he added.
“Initial investigations showed that these activities and movements had reached a stage that directly compromised the security and stability of the country, but His Majesty had decided that it was better to speak directly with Prince Hamza and deal with it in the family”, but he did not. been successful. The authorities, Safadi explained, “intervened after the suspected data entered a phase that goes beyond planning and there was already talk of when to act”.
Queen Nur’s tweet
Previously, Hamza’s mother, la regina only, widow of the last king of Jordan, had defended her son. “I pray that truth and justice will prevail for all innocent victims of this evil slander,” he tweeted. “God bless them and keep them safe”.
International solidarity with King Abdallah II
The United States and Saudi Arabia have expressed “solidarity” and “support” to the king of Jordan, Abdallah II. The king of Morocco Mohammed VI he called him.
“We are following the information carefully and are in contact with the Jordanian authorities,” the spokesman for the US State Department said in a statement. Ned Price. “King Abdallah is a key ally of the United States and has our full support.”
The Saudi crown, through a note published by the press agency Spa, expressed its support for the “decisions of the King of Jordan Abdullah II and of Prince Hussein bin Abdullah to protect the security and stability of the country against any attempt at sabotage”. “Solidarity” was finally expressed by the Arab League in another statement.
The Kingdom of Jordan is considered one of the most stable countries in the Middle East and an important ally of the United States.
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