The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has detained three senior Saudi princes including Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the king’s nephew, for allegedly planning a coup, as reported by US newspapers The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. These men were booked by palace guards wearing masks, and were charged with treason over an alleged coup attempt. However, state media did not announce the arrests, but many social media accounts of private Saudis lavished praise on Saudi-heir to the throne Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also referred as MBS, is King Salman’s son and de facto ruler of the country, which is the world’s top oil exporter and a key US ally. MBS accused them (the princes) of establishing contacts with foreign powers, including the US and others, to plot a coup against the existing regime, the regional source said. With these arrests, MBS consolidated his full grip on power.
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Crown Prince Mohammed, 34, has fuelled resentment among some prominent branches of the ruling family by tightening his grip on power. They said royals seeking to change the line of succession view Prince Ahmed, King Salman’s only surviving full brother, as a possible choice who would have support of family members, the security apparatus, and some Western powers. Saudi authorities have not commented on issues of succession or criticism of the crown prince’s leadership. Notably, Prince Mohammed bin Salman is popular among Saudi youth and also has staunch supporters within the royal Al Saud family, which numbers around 10,000 members.
The regional sources have confirmed the approval of King Salman for latest detentions.
Saudi insiders and western diplomats say the family is unlikely to oppose the crown prince while the 84-year-old king remains alive, saying the monarch is unlikely to turn against his favourite son, to whom he has delegated most responsibilities of rule.
The arrests of the king’s younger and beloved brother Prince Ahmed and the king’s nephew and former counterterrorism czar Prince Mohammed bin Salman came after what one person in Saudi Arabia with knowledge of the situation described as an accumulation of behaviour that was provocative to the leadership.
The detentions also raised speculation about the health of 84-year-old King Salman and whether MBS’s succession to the throne was imminent, but on Sunday the official Saudi Press Agency released images of the king presiding over the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed Saudi ambassadors to Ukraine and Uruguay.
“He wants to be sure while his father is there he becomes the king,” one source told an online news site.
Prince Ahmed has largely kept a low profile since returning to Riyadh in October 2018 after 2-1/2 months abroad and Saudi watchers have said there is no evidence he is willing to take the throne. During that trip abroad, he appeared to criticise the Saudi leadership while responding to protesters outside a London residence chanting for the downfall of the Al Saud dynasty.
Prince Ahmed was one of only three people on the Allegiance Council, made up of the ruling Al Saud family’s senior members, who opposed Mohammed bin Salman becoming crown prince in 2017, sources earlier said.
He and his older brother are the last remaining members of the powerful “Sudairi seven”, a bloc comprised of the seven sons of King Abdul Aziz – considered the kingdom’s modern founder – and his favourite wife, Hussa bint Ahmed al-Sudairi.
The brothers banded together to largely ensure the throne and important ministries passed between them and stayed out of the reach of the king’s dozens of other sons. They include former King Fahd, who ruled the country from 1982 until 2005, Prince Sultan who served as defence minister for almost half a century before becoming crown prince to King Abdullah in 2005, as well as the current king.
Prince Ahmed served as deputy interior minister for decades and was named interior minister in June 2012. But he abruptly stepped down after less than five months in the role and was replaced by Mohammed bin Nayef, the other high-profile detainee
Mohammed bin Nayef’s movements have been restricted and monitored since then, sources have previously said.
The crown prince has been lauded at home for easing social restrictions in the conservative Muslim kingdom and trying to diversify the economy away from oil. But he has come under international criticism over a devastating war in Yemen, the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, allegedly hacking the phone of Amazon CEO and the detention of women’s rights activists seen as part of a crackdown on dissent.
The latest detentions come at a time of heightened tension with rival Iran and as the crown prince implements social and economic reforms, including an initial public offering by oil giant Saudi Aramco on the domestic bourse last December. Saudi Arabia is also the current chair for the Group of 20 major economies. The Middle East Eye quoted sources as saying on Sunday that the arrests were meant to ease the transition of power so Prince Mohammed bin Salman can become king ahead of the November G20 meeting, which will be held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The writer is web editor of Daily Times
