IN JORDAN WAVE OF ARRESTS

ON THE BACKGROUND OF THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER

According to the "Washington Post", Prince Hamza was under house arrest after the discovery of a "complex and far-reaching conspiracy" against King Abdullah II.

This plot "included at least one other member of the royal family as well as tribal chiefs and members of the country's security department," added the American daily, citing a senior official in a Middle Eastern intelligence service. East.

In a statement, the Jordanian chief of staff, General Youssef Huneiti, had specified that Prince Hamza had been "called to stop activities that could be used to undermine the stability and security of the kingdom" but had denied his arrest.

The state-run Petra news agency said authorities had arrested a former king's adviser, Bassem Awadallah, and an unknown number of others on “security concerns”. “No one is above the law. Jordan's security and stability come first, ”General Huneiti wrote in the statement. "All the measures that have been taken have been taken within the framework of the law and after a thorough investigation," he added.

A "slander"

The former crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan, Prince Hamza Ben Hussein, announced that he had been "under house arrest" in his palace in Amman, after being accused by the army of activities against "The security of the kingdom".

In a video transmitted to the BBC by his lawyer, Prince Hamza denied having taken part in a conspiracy and accused the authorities of his country of "corruption" and "incompetence". His mother, Queen Noor, fourth and last wife of the former King Hussein, who died in 1999, denounced on Twitter, Sunday, a "slander" and affirmed "to pray that truth and justice prevail for all innocent victims ”of these arrests.

"I am not part of any plot or any evil organization", defended the prince in the video, regretting that it is no longer possible, according to him, to express his opinion or to criticize the authorities " without being intimidated, harassed or threatened ”. The Jordanian power thinks that "its personal interests , its financial interests, its corruption is more important than the life, the dignity and the future of the ten million people who live here", again accused Prince Hamza.

Stripped of its title

Hamza is the eldest son of King Hussein and his American wife, Queen Noor, née Lisa Halaby. In accordance with the wishes of his father, who died in 1999, he was appointed crown prince when Abdullah became king. But in 2004, Abdallah stripped it of the title and gave it to his eldest son Hussein.

Two allies of Jordan quickly lent their support to King Abdullah II on Saturday.

"King Abdullah is a key partner of the United States, and he has our full support," said US State Department spokesman Ned Price. In Saudi Arabia, the royal palace also tweeted its “full support (…) for the decisions and measures taken by King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein to safeguard security and stability” in the country.

Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have given their support in very similar terms. The wealthy Gulf countries are important partners of Jordan, which depends heavily on international aid. In addition, Egypt expressed its "total solidarity and its support for the Jordanian Hashemite kingdom represented by his majesty Abdallah II", according to the spokesperson of the presidency, Bassem Rady.

The prince's house arrest and arrests took place a few days before the celebration of the kingdom's centenary.