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Jordan’s King Abdullah, Prince Hamzah Make Public Appearance

Jordan’s King Abdullah and his half-brother Prince Hamzah made their first public appearance together since the prince was placed under house arrest following the discovery of an alleged coup attempt against the king.

The palace on Sunday released a photo showing the king, Hamzah, Crown Prince Hussein and other Jordanian officials visiting the grave of King Talal in Amman as part of a ceremony marking 100 years of the Hashemite kingdom’s independence.

Hamzah was accused earlier this month of being in contact with some of the foreign parties to the plot and had been under investigation for a while, Reuters reported. As many as 20 people reportedly were arrested in Jordan as part of an investigation into the alleged coup plot, which authorities called “a threat to the country’s stability.”

In a video released on April 3, Hamza criticized the rule of the kingdom, 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.”

Hamzah signed a letter pledging loyalty to the king. On Wednesday evening the king said in a statement that the “sedition” against him was “nipped in the bud.” He also acknowledged in the statement read on state television that the plot was more painful since it involved his own family. He said that Hamzah was under house arrest, saying: “Hamzah today is with his family in his palace under my care.”

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