A new audio recording that has surfaced indicates that Jordanian authorities tried to silence a former crown prince for meeting with internal critics.
The recording casts doubt on the authorities’ claim that Prince Hamzah was involved in a foreign plot to destabilise the Western-allied monarchy.
It appears to capture the explosive meeting between Hamzah and the army chief of staff that triggered a rare public rift in the highest echelons of the royal family.
It also points to deep tensions between the prince and the security apparatus that could cause more headaches for King Abdullah II, his half-brother.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II laughs with Prince Hamzah in 2001 (Yousef Allan/AP)
Jordan’s Prince Hamzah Bin Al-Hussein in a 2015 photo (KHALIL MAZRAAWI / AFP)
Among those under arrest are a former close aide to the royal family, Bassem Awadallah, chief of the royal court in 2007-08, and Sherif Hassan bin Zaid, a former special envoy to Saudi Arabia.
What were their aims?
Even though the Washington Post quoting US intelligence sources said there had been an attempted coup, analysts say that seems unlikely.
“It is impossible to prepare a coup d’etat without the support of the main army units and the security and intelligence services. And all these forces are behind the king,” said Oraib Al-Rantawi, an analyst with the Al-Quds Centre for Policy Studies.