Jordan King’s Half-Brother Under House Arrest Amid Alleged Coup Plot

Jordan’s former crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah II says he is under house arrest. Prince Hamzah bin Hussein made the charge in a video statement released on Saturday. He said the arrest was because he was present at a meeting where the king was criticized, though he said he did not personally speak there. He criticized the rule of the kingdom in the video, however, saying that Jordan’s ruling system “has decided that its personal interests, financial interests, that its corruption is more important than the lives and dignity and future of the 10 million people who live here.”

Prince Hamzah removed as crown prince in 2004 in a bid by the king to consolidate his power.

As many as 20 people reportedly were arrested in Jordan on Saturday as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to unseat King Abdullah, the Washington Post first reported, citing an unnamed senior Middle Eastern intelligence official. The Petra News Agency reported that two of the arrested were hat Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, and Bassem Ibrahim Awadallah, a former head of the royal.

The United States, as well as countries in the region such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar have offered their support to King Abdullah.