TWO CONFIDANTS OF SENIOR JORDAN ROYAL CHARGED WITH SEDITION, INCITEMENT

AMMAN, JORDAN The prosecutor of Jordan’s state security court on Sunday filed sedition and incitement charges against two confidants of King Abdullah II’s half-brother Hamzah, marking the latest step in a rare, intrigue-filled palace drama that has rattled the Western-backed kingdom.

The affair erupted into the open in early April when Hamzah was placed under house arrest and two senior associates – Bassem Awadallah and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid – were arrested, amid allegations that they tried to destabilize Jordan with foreign help.

Mr. bin Zaid is a member of the Royal Family, and Mr. Awadallah, a former head of the royal court, reportedly has close ties to Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince.

The state news agency Petra said Sunday that the trial of the two will begin next week before the state security court.