London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jan 27, 2026

Jordan's Prince Hamzah Sought Saudi Help For Coup: Court Charge

Jordan's Prince Hamzah Sought Saudi Help For Coup: Court Charge

The two men face trial at the State Security Court later this month, and face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, according to one of their lawyers.
Jordan's Prince Hamzah hoped to overthrow King Abdullah II with the backing of Saudi Arabia, according to court indictments against two alleged accomplices released Sunday.

Both the accused have close ties to neighbouring Saudi Arabia: former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, who also holds Saudi nationality, and former special envoy to the kingdom, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid.

The two men face trial at the State Security Court later this month, and face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty, according to one of their lawyers.

But Hamzah, the king's half-brother, who was accused of involvement in the alleged April 3 attempt to "destabilise the kingdom's security", will not stand trial.

Authorities have said his case had been resolved within the Hashemite royal family.

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia has fervently denied any involvement in the alleged plot.

After the news first broke, Riyadh quickly expressed "its full support" for Jordan "and for the decisions and measures taken by King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein to safeguard security and stability".

But while Hamzah, the king's half-brother, will not face trial, his alleged role will be central to the trial.

"Prince Hamzah was determined to satisfy his personal ambition to rule, in violation of the constitution and Hashemite custom," the indictment read.

"To succeed, he sought to exploit the concerns and problems of the population and to arouse sedition and frustration in society," it added.

Awadallah is considered by several Jordanian media outlets to be close to Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.

The indictment said Awadallah was "close to officials of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia" and had a network of contacts abroad.

Hamzah was reportedly especially concerned about Riyadh's attitude.

"If something bad happens to me in Jordan, will Saudi officials help me or not?" Hamzah reportedly asked Awadallah, according to the indictment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France Plans to Replace Teams and Zoom Across Government With Homegrown Visio by 2027
Trump Removes Minneapolis Deportation Operation Commander After Fatal Shooting of Protester
Iran’s Elite Wealth Abroad and Sanctions Leakage: How Offshore Luxury Sustains Regime Resilience
U.S. Central Command Announces Regional Air Exercise as Iran Unveils Drone Carrier Footage
Four Arrested in Andhra Pradesh Over Alleged HIV-Contaminated Injection Attack on Doctor
Hot Drinks, Hidden Particles: How Disposable Cups Quietly Increase Microplastic Exposure
UK Banks Pledge £11 Billion Lending Package to Help Firms Expand Overseas
Suella Braverman Defects to Reform UK, Accusing Conservatives of Betrayal on Core Policies
Melania Trump Documentary Sees Limited Box Office Traction in UK Cinemas
Meta and EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and the Non-Consensual Public Recording Economy
WhatsApp Develops New Meta AI Features to Enhance User Control
Germany Considers Gold Reserves Amidst Rising Tensions with the U.S.
Michael Schumacher Shows Significant Improvement in Health Status
Greenland’s NATO Stress Test: Coercion, Credibility, and the New Arctic Bargaining Game
Diego Garcia and the Chagos Dispute: When Decolonization Collides With Alliance Power
Trump Claims “Total” U.S. Access to Greenland as NATO Weighs Arctic Basing Rights and Deterrence
Air France and KLM Suspend Multiple Middle East Routes as Regional Tensions Disrupt Aviation
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Poland delays euro adoption as Domański cites $1tn economy and zloty advantage
White House: Trump warns Canada of 100% tariff if Carney finalizes China trade deal
PLA opens CMC probe of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli over Xi authority and discipline violations
ICE and DHS immigration raids in Minneapolis: the use-of-force accountability crisis in mass deportation enforcement
UK’s Starmer and Trump Agree on Urgent Need to Bolster Arctic Security
Starmer Breaks Diplomatic Restraint With Firm Rebuke of Trump, Seizing Chance to Advocate for Europe
UK Finance Minister Reeves to Join Starmer on China Visit to Bolster Trade and Economic Ties
Prince Harry Says Sacrifices of NATO Forces in Afghanistan Deserve ‘Respect’ After Trump Remarks
Barron Trump Emerges as Key Remote Witness in UK Assault and Rape Trial
Nigel Farage Attended Davos 2026 Using HP Trust Delegate Pass Linked to Sasan Ghandehari
Gold Jumps More Than 8% in a Week as the Dollar Slides Amid Greenland Tariff Dispute
BlackRock Executive Rick Rieder Emerges as Leading Contender to Succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair
Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot and LG CLOiD home robot: the platform lock-in fight to control Physical AI
United States under President Donald Trump completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization: health sovereignty versus global outbreak early-warning access
FBI and U.S. prosecutors vs Ryan Wedding’s transnational cocaine-smuggling network: the fight over witness-killing and cross-border enforcement
Trump Administration’s Iran Military Buildup and Sanctions Campaign Puts Deterrence Credibility on the Line
Apple and OpenAI Chase Screenless AI Wearables as the Post-iPhone Interface Battle Heats Up
Tech Brief: AI Compute, Chips, and Platform Power Moves Driving Today’s Market Narrative
NATO’s Stress Test Under Trump: Alliance Credibility, Burden-Sharing, and the Fight Over Strategic Territory
OpenAI’s Money Problem: Explosive Growth, Even Faster Costs, and a Race to Stay Ahead
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
Elizabeth Hurley Tells UK Court of ‘Brutal’ Invasion of Privacy in Phone Hacking Case
UK Bond Yields Climb as Report Fuels Speculation Over Andy Burnham’s Return to Parliament
America’s Venezuela Oil Grip Meets China’s Demand: Market Power, Legal Shockwaves, and the New Rules of Energy Leverage
TikTok’s U.S. Escape Plan: National Security Firewall or Political Theater With a Price Tag?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
The Greenland Gambit: Economic Genius or Political Farce?
Will AI Finally Make Blue-Collar Workers Rich—or Is This Just Elite Tech Spin?
Prince William to Make Official Visit to Saudi Arabia in February
×