Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has detained three senior members of the royal family.
The crown prince ordered the arrests of the king’s brother Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and Nayef’s brother Prince Nawaf bin Nayef, according to the New York Times. The arrests are a sign of Salman’s influence within the country and suggests that the crown prince sees a threat to his power.
Abdulaziz was widely seen inside the royal family as the best chance of stopping Salman’s ascent to king. Nayef is a former interior minister with close ties to U.S. intelligence who was ousted from his ministerial position in 2017 and has remained under house arrest since.
Salman came under international criticism in 2018 after Saudi agents killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a Saudi Embassy in Istanbul. Authorities eventually sentenced five people to death in connection with Khashoggi’s death. Two senior officials implicated in the murder were cleared of wrongdoing.
In 2017, Salman ordered the arrests of hundreds of influential Saudi businessmen, including 11 of his royal cousins. The arrests came at the same time as an order barring any member of the royal family from leaving the country.
