Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman
Source:
Press TV
Saudi
crown prince orders arrest of three senior royals, including his uncle: Reports
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, also known as MbS and seen as the de
facto ruler of the kingdom, has reportedly detained three senior members of the
Arab kingdom’s royal family, including his own uncle.
The
34-year-old crown prince ordered the arrest of Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, King
Salman's younger brother, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the king's nephew and a
former crown prince, on Friday, The New York Times, citing a relative and a
person close to the royal family, reported.
Saudi
authorities also detained Nayef's brother, Prince Nawaf bin Nayef, the report
further said, adding that no reason for the arrests had so far been given.
However,
another report by The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the
matter, said that MbS accused his uncle and the former crown prince of “treason”,
alleging that the pair had been attempting to stage a coup d’état.
The
two top royals, once-formidable rivals to the throne, are now under threat of
lifetime imprisonment or execution, the Wall Street Journal report further
said.
It
was hoped for a time that Mohammad bin Salman’s uncle, Prince Ahmed bin
Abdulaziz, could try to prevent the ambitious MbS from ascending to the throne.
The
other top royal, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, had already effectively been under
house arrest since June 2017, when he was abruptly relieved of all positions,
the most important of which were the crown prince and the first deputy prime
minister, by a decree from King Salman.
According
to The Wall Street Journal, in the early hours of Friday, guards from the riyal
court, wearing masks and dressed in black, raided the homes of the two senior royals,
took them in custody and searched their homes.
Back
in November 2017, dozens of Saudi princes, ministers and former ministers were
detained and placed in a luxury hotel under tight security guard over
allegations of money laundering, bribery, extorting officials, and
misappropriation of public funds for personal benefits.
The
detentions had been ordered by Saudi Arabia’s so-called Anti-Corruption
Committee headed by Mohammed bin Salman, in a crackdown widely believed to be
aimed at consolidating his power.
The
majority of those high-profile figures later agreed to monetary settlements in
exchange for their freedom and paid colossal sums of money.
The
purge followed an earlier roundup of Muslim clerics, writers, economists, and
public figures.
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