Authorities in Jordan on Saturday arrested a number of top officials and a royal family member, according to state news, which was apparently a forced attempt at coup d’etat.
There were also unconfirmed reports that the former crown prince was under house arrest.
The announcement was made by the state-run Petra News Agency, with an unnamed official saying Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, and Bassem Awadallah, a prominent official who once ran the royal court, are arrested ‘for safety reasons’ along with’ other ‘after’ close monitoring. ”
An investigation into the case continues, “the source said.
The news comes as a shock to the desert empire, a close local ally of the US is often praised for its stability in a crisis-stricken environment.
Observers and activists on social media said the dragnet also took Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, one-time crown prince and stepbrother of the King of Jordan, Abdullah II. The king replaced him for four years in his reign with his eldest son, Hussein.
According to unconfirmed social media reports, a 20-vehicle vehicle struck Hamzah’s home in a suburb of West Amman, placed him under house arrest and detained members of his security detail.
His chief of staff, Yasser Majali, was arrested after a heavily armed force broke into the home of his family member, according to Basma Al Majali, a family member who wrote the incident on Twitter. “Communication was lost with them more than three hours ago,” she tweeted.
Al Mamlaka News, a state-funded news broadcaster, has denied that Prince Hamzah has been detained.
Jordan’s 59-year-old king came to power after the death of his father in 1999. Since then, he has been a top ally of the United States, often allowing U.S. troops to set up and participate in operations from the Jordanian territory. takes on the campaign against the Islamic State.