Jordan prince, in video, says was placed under house arrest

Updated: Apr 3, 2021 / 04:55 PM CDT

FILE – In this Dec. 10, 2020 photo released by the Royal Hashemite Court, Jordan’s King Abdullah II gives a speech during the inauguration of the 19th Parliament’s non-ordinary session, in Amman Jordan. Jordan’s army chief of staff says the half-brother of King Abdullah II was asked to “stop some movements and activities that are being used to target Jordan’s security and stability.” The army chief of staff denied reports Saturday, April 3, 2021, that Prince Hamzah was arrested. He said an investigation is still ongoing and its results will be made public “in a transparent and clear form.” (Yousef Allan/The Royal Hashemite Court via AP, File)

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) —The half-brother of Jordan’s King Abdullah says he has been placed under house arrest by Jordanian authorities, accusing the country’s leadership of corruption and incompetence.

In a videotaped statement leaked to the British Broadcasting Corp., Prince Hamzah said he was visited early Saturday by the country’s military chief and told “I was not allowed to go out, to communicate with people or to meet with them.”

He said his security detail was removed, and his phone and Internet service had been cut. He said he was speaking over satellite Internet, but expected that service to be cut as well. The BBC says it received the statement from Hamzah’s lawyer.

In the statement, Hamzah said he had been informed he was being punished for taking in part in meetings in which the king had been criticized, though he himself was not accused of being a direct critic.

He said he told the army chief: “I am not the person responsible for the breakdown in governance, for the corruption and for the incompetence that has been prevalent in our governing structure for the last 15 to 20 years and has been getting worse by the year. I am not responsible for the lack of faith that people have in their institutions. They are responsible.”