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Jordan prince Hamzah Bin Hussien ‘under house arrest’ amid security crackdown

 
Jordan prince Hamzah Bin Hussien ‘under house arrest’ amid security crackdown

Jordanian authorities deny reports that former Crown Prince Hamzah was detained, but say he has been asked to stop destabilising activities.

 Jordan's brother, King Abdullah Abdullah II, said he was under house arrest and accused the state's "governance system" of corruption, incompetence and oppression.

Prince Hamza bin Hussein took the video on Saturday after being denied by the Jordanian army that the former Crown Prince had been arrested, but said that he needed to "stop some movements and activities aimed at the security and stability of Jordan" Was asked for. "

The military said the warning to Prince Hamza was part of a wider, ongoing security investigation by the former minister's arrest, a junior member of the royal family and other unnamed members.

However, in a video submitted to the BBC by his lawyer, Rajkumar insisted that he was not part of any conspiracy and said that he was "not allowed to go out, talk to people or meet with them".

Prince Hamza said that he was told that the king would be punished for attending important meetings, although he was not accused of participating in the criticism.

People are no longer allowed to criticize the authorities or express an opinion. Its corruption is important. "

Earlier, Army Chief Yusuf Hunayati denied reports in which he had been arrested, but had said to "stop exploitation to target Jordan's security and stability."

He said the investigation was ongoing and the results would be made public in a "clear and concise format".

"No one is above the law, Jordan's safety and stability is paramount," he told the Petra news agency.

Two people familiar with the situation told the Reuters news agency that security forces arrived at the prince's small palace and began an investigation. King Abdullah ousted Prince Hamza as heir to the throne in 2004.
Former minister, a member of the royal family was arrested

Petra had earlier said that Sharif Hasan bin Saeed, a member of the royal family and Basim Ibrahim Avtala, the former head of the royal court, were jailed. Avtalla has previously served as Planning Minister and Finance Minister and has personal interests in the entire Gulf region.

The agency did not provide further details or give the names of the others arrested.

The Washington Post quoted a senior Middle East intelligence official as saying that 20 people were arrested. The detention was part of an investigation into the plot to overthrow King Abdullah.

A former US official aware of the events in Jordan told Reuters the plot was credible and broad-based but "not physically involved in the plot". Instead, those involved planned to carry on the protests, which would appear to be a "popular street mass rebellion" with tribal support.

Tribal figures known as Harak have recently called for anti-corruption protests in the country, hit hard by the impact of COVID-19 on the economy, pushing unemployment to record levels and deepening poverty. Officials in riot gear took out a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters in the truck.

The former US official said that Jordan would investigate whether foreigners were involved in the conspiracy.
'Internal abduction'

Talia Bahmi, associate professor of political science at the US-based Long Island University, said Jordan's advice "reflects internal turmoil."

"The former Crown Prince's statement on corruption really reflects what is happening financially in Jordan," Bahmi told Al Jazeera. "When you have a country that is financially weak, a phase will come where opposition within the government will increase ... it won't go anywhere. But the king will have to take some action to save what he has to do."

He said, "Domestically, this would be a difficult time for the king."

In February 1999, just hours after his father King Hussein died of cancer, King Abdullah Hamza was chosen as his crown prince, but in 2004 he was removed from the title of young prince, and the crown gave him Decided to "free" from obstacles. . For the position of prince. And to give him the freedom to perform any task or responsibility to which I have entrusted him. "

The current crown prince is Prince Hussein, the eldest son of Prince Abdullah aged 26 years.

King has built close ties with the United States and other Western leaders in recent years, and Jordan has been an important ally in the war against the ISIL (ISIS) group.

The country - with more than 600,000 Syrian refugees - occupies Israel, the West Bank, Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The United States and several Arab countries on Saturday expressed support for King Abdullah.

"We are following the report closely and are in contact with the Jordanian authorities," he said. State Department spokesman Nate Price said. "King Abdullah is a major partner of the United States and has our full support."

The Saudi royal court expressed "all its support" for King Abdullah and all his decisions to maintain security and stability, while a spokesman for the Egyptian president wrote on Facebook that "Cairo has sought to maintain the security and stability of the king." Supported any efforts. Any attempt to weaken it. "

The United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council have also stated their support for King Abdullah.

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