The former crown prince of Jordan says he has been placed under house arrest as part of a crackdown on critics.
In a video passed to the BBC by his lawyer, Prince Hamzah bin Hussein, the half-brother of King Abdullah, accuses the country’s leaders of corruption, incompetence and harassment.
It comes after a number of high-level arrests said to be linked to an alleged coup plot.
The military earlier denied Prince Hamzah was under house arrest.
But it said he had been ordered to stop actions that could be used to target Jordan’s “security and stability”.
The move apparently comes after a visit by the prince to tribal leaders where he is said to have garnered some support.
Prince Hamzah has denied any wrongdoing and said he was not part of any conspiracy.
Meanwhile, regional powers including Egypt and Saudi Arabia have voiced support for King Abdullah. The United States, which is allied with Jordan in its campaign against the Islamic State (IS) group, described the monarch as a key partner who has its full support.
Jordan has few natural resources and its economy has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also absorbed waves of refugees from the civil war in neighbouring Syria.
Who is Prince Hamzah?
The oldest son of the late King Hussein and his favourite wife Queen Noor, Prince Hamzah is a graduate of the UK’s Harrow School and the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. He also attended Harvard University in the US and has served in the Jordanian armed forces.
He was named crown prince of Jordan in 1999 and was a favourite of King Hussein, who often described him in public as the “delight of my eye”.
However, he was seen as too young and inexperienced to be named successor at the time of King Hussein’s death.
Instead his older half-brother, Abdullah, ascended the throne and stripped Hamzah of the title of crown prince in 2004.
The move was seen as a blow to Queen Noor, who had hoped to see her eldest son become king.
Following the latest developments, Queen Noor sent prayers for “truth and justice”.
