Advertisement

Updated April 4th, 2021 at 16:56 IST

Jordan prince denies 'conspiracies' or 'foreign agenda'

The half-brother of Jordan's King Abdullah II said Saturday he has been placed under house arrest by Jordanian authorities and accused the country's leadership of corruption and incompetence, exposing a rare rift within the ruling monarchy of a close Western ally.

| Image:self
Advertisement

The half-brother of Jordan's King Abdullah II said Saturday he has been placed under house arrest by Jordanian authorities and accused the country's leadership of corruption and incompetence, exposing a rare rift within the ruling monarchy of a close Western ally.

In a videotaped statement obtained by the Associated Press, Prince Hamzah said he was visited early Saturday by the country's military chief and told he was not allowed to go out, communicate with people or meet with them.

He said he had been informed he was being punished for taking part in meetings in which the king had been criticized, though he himself was not accused of being a direct critic.

The country's top general had earlier denied that Hamzah - a former crown prince stripped of the title in 2004 - was arrested or under house arrest, even as authorities announced the arrests of former senior officials close to the ruling monarchy.

He said an investigation was ongoing and its results would be made public “in a transparent and clear form.”

The official Petra news agency had earlier reported that two senior officials who formerly worked for the palace, along with other suspects, had been arrested for “security reasons,” without providing further details.

Abdullah has ruled Jordan since the 1999 death of his father, King Hussein, who ruled the country for close to a half-century.

Abdullah stripped his half-brother Hamzah of his title as crown prince in 2004, saying he had decided to “free” him from the "constraints of the position" to allow him to take on other responsibilities.

The move was seen at the time as part of Abdullah's consolidation of power five years after the succession.

The current crown prince is Abdullah's oldest son, Hussein, who is 26.

Abdullah and Hamzah have not displayed any open rivalry over the years.

 

Advertisement

Published April 4th, 2021 at 16:56 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending Quicks

Jailed Gangster Mukhtar Ansari Passes Away
15 minutes ago
Mukhtar Ansari Death
25 minutes ago
Chamkila
28 minutes ago
Lorry Crushes Car-Cleaner To Death In Telangana
33 minutes ago
Major League Cricket
34 minutes ago
Abhay Deol
35 minutes ago
delhi cm arvind kejriwal
36 minutes ago
MEA Responds To China’s Comment On Sikh Separatist Gurupatwant Singh Pannun
39 minutes ago
Riyan Parag
41 minutes ago
David Warner
42 minutes ago
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo