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May 19 (UPI) -- Jordan's King Abdullah II issued a royal decree Thursday, restricting the communications and movements of his half-brother Prince Hamzah bin Hussein. In the letter, Abdullah said that Hamzah, who was accused by Jordanian authorities of attempting to stage a coup last year, was "arrogant," "erratic" and seditious.
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"Prince Hamzah will remain in his palace in accordance with the council's decision and in order to guarantee that he will not repeat his irresponsible actions -- actions which will be dealt with shall he repeat them," Abdullah wrote.
He added that Hamzah had "exhausted all opportunities to restore himself on the right path" and clung to delusion.
"I [unfortunately] realized that he will not change his ways," Abdullah wrote. "I realized he [suffers from] a delusion where he sees himself as the guardian of our Hashemite legacy and where he believes that [he is the victim] of a systematic campaign [launched against him] by our institutions."
Last April, Hamzah said in a video that he was placed on house arrest and not allowed to leave his home or communicate with other people, saying he was placed into lockdown due to criticisms of the king or government voiced at meetings where he was present.
Jordanian officials said they had uncovered a far-reaching plot to unseat Abdullah that involved at least one other Jordanian Royal, tribal leaders and members of the country's political and security establishment as well as unspecified "foreign" backing.
As many as 20 other people were also arrested for allegedly participating in the plot.
Days later, Abdullah wrote a public letter addressed to the Jordanian people, saying the sedition had "been nipped in the bud" while adding that Hamzah had pledged to "follow in the steps of the ancestors" and place Jordan's interest in the Constitution and laws "above all considerations."
In July, Bassem Awadallah, a former top aide to the king and Sharif Hasan, a member of the royal family, were found guilty of sedition and incitement, but Hamzah's role was not addressed as Abdullah said the case would be resolved within the family.
However, last month, Hamzah posted a letter on Twitter announcing he was relinquishing his title, a move that Abdullah said in his letter Thursday that only the king had the authority to make under Jordan's Constitution.
Abdullah also wrote Thursday that Hamzah knew that Awadallah and Hasan "had approached two foreign embassies to ask about the possibility of their countries supporting what he described as a regime change."
"It has become evident that the prince is living in the fantasy created by those around him that he alone has inherited this great legacy, despite his young age and limited experience," the king said.
