Estranged former Jordanian crown prince Hamzah, who had openly criticised the current government over alleged corruption and a “breakdown of governance”, earlier swore loyalty to his half-brother, King Abdullah II, in a letter published by the royal court, and said that he was under house arrest for actions that undermine national stability.
Phone intercepts suggest that aides to the embattled former Jordanian heir Prince Hamzah had sought pledges of allegiance on his behalf from tribal leaders and ex-military officers weeks before he was detained and placed in house arrest amid accusations he'd engaged in a plot to destabilise the kingdom.
“Our guy has made a decision to move, do you pledge allegiance?” a voice in one of the supposedly tapped calls was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
The alleged exchanges took place over three weeks in March, when Jordanian officials claim Hamzah, first in line to the throne until King Abdullah II, his half-brother, removed his title as crown prince in 2004, attempted to rally support for a subversive plot to challenge the monarch's reign.
A meeting of tribal figures in northern Jordan, tapped by intelligence officials, is said to reveal the men discussing how to galvanise support for 41-year old Hamzah. According to the cited audios, meetings of civilians were to be limited to 15 people, while gatherings of retired military leaders were restricted to seven.
The Arabic term mubayaa, which implies swearing an oath to a monarch,…
