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Saudis' Arrest of 2 Princes Called a Warning to Royal Family

Associated Press

   DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Two senior princes in Saudi Arabia are
   under arrest for not supporting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who
   has consolidated control of all major levers of power with the support
   of his father, King Salman, two people close to the royal family said
   Saturday.

   The arrests on Friday of the king's younger and beloved brother, Prince
   Ahmed bin Abdelaziz, and the king's nephew and former counterterrorism
   czar, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, came after an accumulation of behavior
   that was provocative to leadership, one person in Saudi Arabia with
   knowledge of the arrests said.

   Both princes had served previously in the post of interior minister,
   overseeing security and surveillance inside the kingdom.

   The move came as a surprise, given that Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 60,
   was widely known to be under close surveillance since he was shunted
   out of the line of succession by the king's son in mid-2017, a person
   close to the royal court said.

   The arrest of Prince Ahmed, 78, was also unexpected since he is the
   king's full younger brother and also a senior member of the ruling Al
   Saud family.

   No pledge of allegiance

   Prince Ahmed, however, has long held unfavorable views of the
   34-year-old crown prince and was one of just a few senior princes to
   abstain from pledging allegiance to him when the young royal sidelined
   more senior princes to become first in line to the throne.

   The Wall Street Journal first reported the arrests, quoting
   unidentified sources allied with the royal court as saying the princes
   were plotting a palace coup that would halt the rise of the crown
   prince. The Journal has since reported that the sweep broadened to
   include dozens of Interior Ministry officials, senior army officers and
   others suspected of supporting a coup attempt.

   The two people who talked to The Associated Press declined to
   characterize actions by the two princes as a coup attempt. They agreed
   to discuss the highly sensitive matter related to security only if
   granted anonymity.

   One added that the arrests were a message to all those in the royal
   family feeling disenfranchised to stop grumbling and toe the line,
   saying that if Prince Ahmed can be arrested, any prince can and will
   be. Prince Ahmed was seen as a person that royals who were vexed with
   the crown prince's grip on power could look to, the person said.

   There has been no official comment from Saudi authorities on the
   arrests.

   The crown prince has succeeded in a few short years at sweeping aside
   any competition from royals older and more experienced than he is. He
   has also overhauled the most powerful security bodies to report to him.

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