Attempted coup in Jordan? The military appoints powerful politicians

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Jordanian Palace Guard (archive image)

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According to the military, several prominent people have been arrested in Jordan.

Among them are the former finance minister Bassem Awadallah and the member of the royal family Sharif Hassan Ben Said, said army chief Jussef Huneiti on Saturday evening via the state media.

We are talking about "security investigations".

Videos posted on the Internet showed a large number of security guards near the Royal Palace in Amman.

Army chief Huneiti denied media reports that the former Crown Prince Prince Hamsa bin Hussein, a half-brother of King Abdullah II, was arrested.

Rather, Hamsa was asked "to refrain from actions that could be exploited to endanger the security and stability of Jordan".

The government did not initially provide a statement.

What role does the king's half-brother play?

The Washington Post reported that security forces arrested Hamsa and about 20 other people in connection with a "threat to the stability of the country."

This happened as part of an investigation into a plot that was apparently aimed at the overthrow of Abdullah II.

The monarch took the throne in 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein.

In contrast, two insiders of the Reuters news agency said Hamsa was not in custody.

Numerous states - including the USA, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon - declared their solidarity with King Abdullah in initial reactions.

Jordan is a key US ally in the region.

Hamsa was originally prepared for the throne by his mother, Queen Nur.

However, King Abdullah dismissed him as crown prince in 2004.

Instead, the king surprisingly cleared the way for his then eight-year-old son.

According to insiders, Hamsa has since tried to win over important tribes and also attracted opposition politicians.

This displeases the king.

"Nobody is above the law"

An investigation is ongoing and the results will be communicated later, announced Chief of Staff Huneiti.

"Nobody is above the law," he said.

"The security and stability of Jordan are paramount."

The Washington Post reported, citing high-ranking intelligence officials from the Middle East, that palace officials had described the conspiracy as "complex and far-reaching."

At least one other member of the Jordanian royal family as well as tribal leaders and representatives of the security authorities were involved.

Unconfirmed reports have also arrested Prince Hamsa's office manager, Yasser Majali.

His niece Basma wrote on Twitter that Majali had been taken to an unknown location after a raid.

wal / dpa / Reuters / AFP