Jordan's King Abdullah II's half-brother claims he has been put under house arrest and accused Jordan's "ruling system" of corruption, incompetence, and bullying.

After Jordan's military refuted news of the former crown prince's detention, Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein made a videotaped statement on Saturday, saying he had been asked to "stop certain actions that are being used to attack Jordan's security and stability."

The notification to Prince Hamza was part of a larger, ongoing security inquiry in which a former minister, a junior member of the royal family, and unidentified others were arrested, according to the military.

The prince confirmed that he was not involved in any plot, saying in a video sent to the BBC by his lawyer that he was "not allowed to go out, speak with people, or interact with them."

Prince Hamzah said he had been told he was being disciplined for attending meetings where the king was criticized, but he said he was not accused of participating in the criticism.

People could no longer question the government or voice an opinion “without being intimidated, abused, or threatened,” he said. Jordanian’s well-being had been put second by a ruling structure that has determined that its personal, financial interests, and corruption more important than the lives, dignity, and future of the 10 million people who live there.

Army chief Yousef Huneiti rejected reports that the prince had been detained." He confirmed that an inquiry is pending and that the findings will be made public. He told Jordan's official Petra news agency, "No one is above the rules, and Jordan's security and stability come first."

Security forces had arrived at the prince's small palace and started an investigation. In 2004, King Abdullah deposed Prince Hamza as heir to the throne, to solidify his power.

Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, and Bassem Ibrahim Awadallah, a former head of the royal court, had been arrested, according to Petra. Awadallah has also operated as planning minister and finance minister in the past, and he has private business interests around the Gulf. According to the Washington Post, as many as 20 people were detained, citing a top Middle Eastern intelligence official. The arrests were made as part of an investigation into a conspiracy to dethrone King Abdullah.

The plot, which Reuters characterized as credible and broad-based but not imminent, did not involve a "physical coup," according to a former US official with knowledge of events in Jordan. Those concerned were staging demonstrations that would seem to be a "popular rebellion with crowds on the street" with tribal support.

Herak, the tribal leaders, have called for anti-corruption protests in a country hit hard by COVID-19's economic effect, which has pushed unemployment higher and deepened poverty. Authorities had suppressed many protests, detaining many people. Jordan will look into the possibility of a foreign hand in the story.

Jordanian trends, according to Dalia Fahmy, an associate professor of political science at Long Island University in the United States, are "reflective of a domestic internal rift."

“The former crown prince's comment about corruption reflects what has been happening economically in Jordan,” Fahmy told Al Jazeera. “When a nation is struggling economically, there is a point at which internal resistance to the government will increase.

King Abdullah appointed Hamzah as his crown prince after their father, King Hussein, who died of cancer in February 1999, but stripped him of the title in 2004, saying he wanted to “free” him “from the constraints of the role of the crown prince, give him the freedom to work and pursue any task I entrust him.”

Prince Hussein, Abdullah's oldest sibling, is the new crown prince, is 26 years old. Over the years, the king has established strong links with US and other Western leaders, and Jordan has been a crucial ally in the fight against ISIL (ISIS).

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said, "We are closely monitoring the news and in communication with Jordanian officials." “King Abdullah is an important American ally, and he has our full support.” The Saudi royal court expressed its "total support" for King Abdullah and all of his decisions aimed at preserving security and stability in the country. The Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar, have all stated their support for King Abdullah.