The Jordanian government accused King Abdullah’s half-brother, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, of maintaining contact with foreign parties because of a plot to destabilize the country.
Ayman Safadi, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said at a news conference that officials had intercepted communications between Prince Hamzah, a former crown prince, and foreign parties.
“These were the efforts that threatened Jordan’s security and stability and those efforts have been thwarted,” said Safadi. Security services have requested that those involved in the alleged plot be referred to the state security court, he added.
Safadi spoke the day after Prince Hamzah was placed under house arrest, in a rare public confrontation between important members of the ruling family a long time ago.
The unprecedented incident raised concerns about stability in a country seen as an important Western ally in a volatile region and attracted a show of support for the king.
In a videotaped statement of house arrest, the prince accused the country’s leadership of corruption and incompetence.
Safadi said intelligence agents had been watching conspirators for some time and communicated their concerns to the king. He said the prince was asked to “stop all these activities and movements that threaten Jordan and its stability”, but he refused.
Safadi did not identify the foreign countries allegedly involved in the plot. But he said that Bassem Awadallah, a longtime senior official with commercial ties in several Arab Gulf states, was involved and planned to leave the country. He also said Awadallah was trying to secure a place for Prince Hamzah’s wife to flee.
The USA, Saudi Arabia and Arab countries across the Middle East have issued strong statements in favor of King Abdullah.
The quick display of support underscored Jordan’s strategic importance as an island of relative stability in the turbulent region. While harsh criticism from a popular member of the ruling family can support growing complaints about the kingdom’s poor governance, the king’s harsh reaction also illustrated the limits to which he will accept public dissent.
In the early hours of Sunday, Prince Hamzah’s mother, Queen Noor, expressed sympathy for the “innocent victims”.
“Pray that truth and justice will prevail for all innocent victims of this wicked slander. God bless you and keep you safe, ”she tweeted.
Prince Hamzah was stripped of the title of crown prince in 2004 by King Abdullah, five years after the death of his father, the late King Hussein. The prince is a popular figure in Jordan, widely regarded as pious and modest.