Jordanian prince says he’s been placed under house arrest

The half-brother of Jordan’s King Abdullah, Prince Hamzah bin-Hussein, said on Saturday that he has been placed under house arrest. 

“I was not allowed to go out, to communicate with people or to meet with them,” Hamzah said in a video statement obtained by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The BBC said they obtained the video statement from Hamzah’s lawyer. 

The statement comes after General Yousef Huneiti, Jordan’s army chief of staff, told Petra news agency that Hamzah was not arrested and that they are conducting an investigation, according to The Associated Press. 

“No one is above the law and Jordan’s security and stability are above all,” Huneiti said to Petra news agency, according to AP.

The results of the investigation will be transparent and known to the public, he added.

The news outlet reported that the prince was told he needed to “stop some movements and activities that are being used to target Jordan’s security and stability.”

The prince is not the only official who has reportedly been arrested in Jordan.

Those who have worked in the palace, including two senior officials, have been arrested for “security reasons,” the wire service reported. 

Among those arrested are the former royal envoy to Saudi Arabia Sharif Hassan bin Zaid and Bassem Ibrahim Awadallah, former head of the royal court and former planning and finance minister.

The U.S. and Jordan have had a long-standing relationship with Jordan, the AP noted. 

State Department spokesman Ned Price told AP in a statement that the Biden administration is, “closely following the reports and in touch with Jordanian officials.”

“King Abdullah is a key partner of the United States, and he has our full support.”

The State Department’s statement came before Hamzah’s video was released.