i24NEWS
April 03, 2021, 02:14 PMlatest revision April 03, 2021, 03:00 PM
i24NEWSBreaking news
Jordanian authorities arrested a member of the royal family among some 20 plotters conspiring to unseat King Abdullah II, according to the country’s official news agency.
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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, the Petra news agency said.
Citing an unnamed intelligence official, the Washington Post reported earlier on Saturday that Prince Hamzah bin Hussein was “under restriction” at his Amman residence, yet Petra said the report was inaccurate and Hamza was not involved in the incident.
Hamza is the elder son of the late King Hussein and his American-born fourth wife, Queen Noor. He was named Crown Prince of Jordan in 1999, a position he held until Abdullah, his half-brother, rescinded it in 2004.
Arrests of top officials and royal family members are rare in Jordan.