US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt voice suppport to Jordan King Abdullah

The US State Department on Saturday said that Jordan's monarch King Abdullah II is a "key partner" of the US and "has our full support" amid reports that his half-brother Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein had been questioned - possibly in relation to an alleged plot to destabilize the country.

"We are closely following the reports and in touch with Jordan officials. King Abdullah is a key partner of the United States, and he has our full support," said State Department spokesperson Ned Price in an email to CNN.

Saudi Arabia too said it supports King Abdullah's decision to maintain the security of his country, according to a statement published by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Saturday.

"The kingdom affirms its full support, with all its capabilities, to all decisions and measures taken by King Abdullah and His Highness Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, the Crown Prince, to maintain security and stability," a statement from the Saudi royal court said as reported by CNN.

Local media in Egypt quoted Presidential spokesman Bassam Radi statement on Saturday in which he said that Egypt voices full support to Jordan and the Jordan king in preserving the security and stability of the kingdom.

"Egypt affirms that the security and stability of the sisterly Jordan is an inseparable part of the Egyptian and Arab national security," the Egyptian presidential statement read adding, "May God protect the kingdom from any harm."

State media in Jordan on Saturday said that Hassan bin Zaid, a member of Jordan's royal family and envoy to Saudi Arabia, and Basem Ibrahim Awadallah, a long-time confidant of King Abdullah have been arrested due to "security reasons."

Zaid is a distant cousin of King Abdullah II. His brother was Ali bin Zaid, an intelligence officer killed along with seven CIA operatives in 2010 in a suicide bombing in Khost, Afghstan, CNN reported.

The Washington Post reported that as many as 20 people were arrested by Jordan Police who sought to restrain the movement of the former crown prince.

"The move followed the discovery of what officials described as a complex and far-reaching plot that included at least one other Jordan royal as well as tribal leaders and members of the country's political and security establishment. One official cited unspecified evidence of "foreign" backing for the plan," the Post reported.

The Post quoted a statement by the Jordan Armed Forces which confirmed the multiple arrests and said that Prince Hamzah had been "asked to cease all movements or activities that could be employed to target Jordan's security and stability."

King Abdullah has ruled the country since the death of his father, King Hussein, in 1999. Prince Hamzah is the oldest son of the late King Hussein and his American-born wife Queen Noor, and is King Abdullah's half-brother.

( With inputs from ANI )