Jordanian security forces interrogate King Abdullah's half-brother

Shafaq News/ Jordanian security forces arrested a member of the royal family, a former adviser to King Abdullah and others on “security related” grounds, the Petra state news agency said, and other people familiar with the affair said it was related to a plot to destabilise the country.

Two people familiar with the situation told Reuters security forces had arrived at King Abdullah’s half-brother and former Crown Prince Hamza’s house and begun an investigation.

They said he had not been arrested.

An official source also told the state news agency he had not been arrested.

The Washington Post said Jordanian authorities detained Hamza and arrested nearly 20 other people after what officials called a “threat to the country’s stability”.

Abdullah dismissed Hamza as heir to the throne in 2004 in a move that consolidated his power.

Petra said U.S.-educated Bassem Awadallah, a long-time confidant of the king who later became minister of finance, and Sharif Hassan Ben Zaid, a member of the royal family, were detained along with other unnamed figures. It gave no details.

Government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Arrests of top officials and royal family members are rare in Jordan, a key Western ally.

U.S. ally Abdullah has succeeded in bringing political stability to the country and gaining stature as a prominent Arab leader whose message of moderation has found an echo, especially in Western forums.

Awadallah, who was a driving force behind economic reforms before he resigned as chief of the royal court in 2008, has long faced stiff resistance from an old guard and an entrenched bureaucracy that flourished for years on government perks.

Jordan’s powerful intelligence agency, with a pervasive influence in public life, has played a bigger public role since the introduction of emergency laws at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic last year, which civic groups say violate civil and political rights.

Jordanian riot police last month broke up protests in Amman and other cities called to mark the 10th anniversary of Arab Spring pro-democracy demonstrations, and authorities detained dozens of activists, witnesses said.

Source: Reuters