Jordan’s Prince Hamzah Says He Won’t Stay Silent

Jordan’s former crown prince and half-brother of King Abdullah II said in a new recording that he will not stop communicating with the outside world, after saying over the weekend that he has been placed under house arrest and ordered to remain quiet.

“For sure I won’t obey when they tell you that you cannot go out or tweet or reach out to people but are only allowed to see the family. I expect this talk is not acceptable in any way,” Prince Hamzah bin Hussein said in a recording posted on Twitter.

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, which authorities have called “a threat to the country’s stability.” Hamzah is accused of being in contact with some of the foreign parties to the plot and has been under investigation for a while, Reuters reported.

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