The Royal House of Saudi Arabia has condemned an apparent coup attempt against King Abdullah, saying they “stand by” Jordan’s monarch.
Around 20 individuals have been attested in Jordan for “security reasons.”
Among those arrested is Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, Jordan’s former royal envoy to Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi royal spokesperson said: “The Kingdom stands by the sisterly Kingdom of Jordan and its full support with all its capabilities for all decisions and measures taken by King Abdullah II bin and His Highness Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II to maintain security and stability.”
Bassem Ibrahim Awadallah, the former head of the Royal Household, has also been detained.
Petra News Agency has denied reports that the kingdom’s former Crown Prince, Hamza, is among those arrested.
An army spokesperson did say, however, that Prince Hamza “was asked to stop moves and activities that could be exploited and threaten Jordan’s security and stability.”
A Jordanian royal source told the Washington Post that around 20 arrests have been made due to a “threat to the country’s stability.”
The situation is still developing and the full circumstances of this apparent coup attempt remain unclear.
