Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud is trying to ensure compliance in royal court by arresting royals,Experts says.
Saudi Arabia’s reported detention of senior royals and top officials earlier this month has raised myriad questions on what prompted the crackdown and whether it was the aftermath of an attempted coup in the Saudi royal court.
To many observers, the detentions appeared to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) latest effort to consolidate power by targeting two of the royal family’s most influential members, Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz, the youngest brother of King Salman, and Mohammed bin Nayef, the former crown prince and interior minister.
The two senior royal family members were detained on Friday, according to the US media reports. There was no official comment from Saudi authorities.
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Saudi experts and observers,including sources with connections to the royal palace,said it remained unclear whether there had been a plot against MBS.
But what was apparent, they said, was that Prince Mohammed, who has been tightening his grip on power since he was appointed as crown prince in 2017, felt increasingly threatened by his two main rivals Prince Ahmed and Mohamed bin Nayef, the man he replaced.
With both appearing to be alternative centres of power or legitimate successors to the throne, their presence and rejection of MBS as the future king made him fearful that other members of the royal family may rally around them.
Saudi analysts have cast doubt that a coup attempt, in its traditional sense of an army takeover, would have occurred.
But one analyst said the arrests might have been the result of the uncovering in recent months of a plot to remove Prince Mohammed.
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Others pointed at King Salman’s old age and possible ill-health as a trigger, compounded by the upcoming US elections and the possibility of US President Donald Trump one of MBS’ main international allies not being re-elected.
A former adviser to the late King Abdullah, who still has connections to the royal court said that the biggest reason behind the crackdown was Prince Ahmed’s refusal to pledge allegiance to Prince Mohammed.
“King Salman has summoned Ahmed to the palace every year to convince him to accept his son’s ascent to the throne,” said the former adviser, who wished to remain anonymous. “The last time this happened was last month.
“But Ahmed refused to give bay’a pledge allegiance to MBS, saying the throne was his rightful place, based on their father’s will.”
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He added “Prince Mohammed feels that if he does not take the throne during Trump’s reign, he will never get the chance.”
Prince Ahmed was one of three members of the Allegiance Council, the royal body that endorses the line of succession, to oppose MBS’s appointment as crown prince in place of his cousin Mohammed bin Nayef in 2017.
As the youngest of the seven Sudairi brothers from whom King Salman also hails, 78-year-old Prince Ahmed has been seen a legitimate successor to the throne.
He has been publicly critical of MBS’s policies, including the kingdom’s role in Yemen.