In Shocking Purge, Saudi King Arrests Billionaire Prince Bin Talal, Dozens Of Others In Cabinet Crackdown by Tyler Durden Nov 4, 2017 7:55 PM 4.3K SHARES TwitterFacebookReddit In a shocking development, Saudi press Al Mayadeen reported late on Saturday that prominent billionaire, member of the royal Saudi family, and one of the biggest shareholders of Citi, News Corp. and Twitter - not to mention frequent CNBC guest - Al-Waleed bin Talal, along with ten senior princes, and some 38 ministers, has been arrested for corruption and money laundering charges on orders from the new anti-corruption committee headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, while Royal princes’ private planes have been grounded. Among those fired and/or arrested are the head of National Royal Guards, Miteb Bin Abdullah, the Minister of Economy and Planning, Adel Fakeih, and Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, the Commander of the Saudi Naval Forces. View image on Twitter حسن سجواني ✔@HSajwanization #BREAKING Several Princes & Saudi businessmen are arrested for #MoneyLaundering and #corruption charges in #KSA https://sabq.org/Spn3jq 4:32 PM - Nov 4, 2017 66 Replies 175175 Retweets 135135 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy As the local press further adds, the supreme committee chaired by Crown Prince and billionaire stops "on charges of money laundering." al-Waleed bin Talal is perhaps best known not only for his periodic CNBC appearances, but for his recurring on and off spats with president Trump: According to al Arabiya, among those sacked and/or arrested are Moteib Bin Abdullah, Minister of the National Guard, and Prince Khalid bin Ayyaf has been appointed as his replacement. A second Royal Order was issued to relieve Minister of Economy and Planning, Adel al-Faqieh, from his duties, and the appointment of Mohammed Al Tuwaijri as Minister of Economy and Planning. According to a Royal Decree issued by King Salman on Saturday the anti-corruption committee is chaired by the Crown Prince with the membership of: Chairman of the Monitoring and Investigation Commission, Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Authority, Chief of the General Audit Bureau, Attorney General and Head of State Security. As Saudi analysts were quick to point out, the purge by the Saudi King means that King Abdallah’s last remnants (Riyad firmer gov. & head of Nat. Guard); media moguls; SAGIA & financial policy officials have been purged. As Bloomberg notes, changing the head of the National Guard, an institution that’s been controlled by the clan of the late King Abdullah, “is not like changing the minister of oil,” said Kamran Bokhari, a senior analyst with Geopolitical Futures and a senior fellow with the Center for Global Policy. “I wouldn’t be surprised if this leads to greater fissures within the royal family.” Arabiya adds that King Salman also issued sacking and replacement orders for Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, the Commander of the Naval Forces, is to be terminated and be retired; his replacement is Vice Admiral Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Ghifaili, to be promoted to the rank of admiral and be appointed as Commander of the Naval Forces. Additionally, Minister of Economy and Planning Adel al-Faqieh was replaced by Mohammed al-Tuwaijri, SPA said, quoting a royal decree. Commander of the Saudi Navy, Abdullah al-Sultan, was replaced with Fahad al-Ghafli. The king also replaced Minister of Economy and Planning Adel Fakeih withMohammad Al Tuwaijri, his deputy. Al Tuwaijri, formerly vice minister for economy and planning, had already played a key role in shaping Saudi economic and fiscal policy over the past year. Before joining the government in May 2016 he was Middle East chief executive for HSBC. He’s served as a frequent spokesman for the government’s economic reform plan on TV and with Western journalists. King Salman also issued an decree forming an anti-corruption committee headed by the crown prince. Its powers include the ability to trace funds and assets, and prevent their transfer or liquidation on behalf of individuals or entities, along with the right to take any precautionary actions until cases are referred to relevant investigatory or judiciary authorities, according to a government statement. The committee’s formation was deemed necessary “due to the propensity of some people for abuse, putting their personal interest above public interest, and stealing public funds,” the Royal Order said. CIC Saudi Arabia ✔@CICSaudi Crown Prince: Every person, who has engaged in #corruption, regardless of their status, will be held accountable, provided there's evidence. 6:12 PM - Nov 4, 2017 1818 Replies 242242 Retweets 147147 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Some more cynical observers noted how MBS is quickly learning from XIi Jinping "how to get rid of enemies under justification of "corruption commission" & place "friendlies" in high places." 2h Amal FETHI @TunisianHope I am dying to read @iyad_elbaghdadi 's analysis about the last arrests in #SaudiArabia İyad el-Baghdadi ✔@iyad_elbaghdadi Purge under the guise of combating corruption. Just like the earlier wave of arrests was a purge under the guise of combating extremism. 6:41 PM - Nov 4, 2017 1111 Replies 4949 Retweets 6060 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Others arrested include Walid bin Talal; Khaled Tuweijri; AlWalid Ibrahim; Turki Bin Naser; and others. Joyce Karam ✔@Joyce_Karam V. BIG Names of Arrests in #Saudi •Meteib Bin Abdullah •Walid bin Talal •Khaled Tuweijri •AlWalid Ibrahim •Turki Bin Naser •Adel Fakih https://twitter.com/ksa24/status/926912032464625664 … 4:51 PM - Nov 4, 2017 1313 Replies 286286 Retweets 103103 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Putting the arrests in context, the heads of the main three Saudi owned TV networks were arrested, Alwalid Bin Talal (Rotana), Walid Al Brahim (MBC), Saleh Kamel (ART) Ali Hashem علي هاشم ✔@alihashem_tv The heads of the main three Saudi owned TV networks were arrested, Alwalid Bin Talal (Rotana), Walid Al Brahim (MBC), Saleh Kamel (ART) 5:26 PM - Nov 4, 2017 3333 Replies 851851 Retweets 356356 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy As Bloomberg adds, Saudi King Salman appointed a former HSBC banker to head the country’s economy ministry and removed one of the royal family’s most prominent princes from as head of the National Guard. Separately, a number of Saudi princes and former ministers were arrested by authorities hours after the announcement of a new anti-corruption committee, with sweeping powers and headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news service reported. Prince Miteb, son of the late King Abdullah, was replaced as minister of the National Guard by Prince Khaled Ayyaf, according to a royal decree carried by state-run media late Saturday. Before his ouster, Prince Miteb was one of the few remaining senior princes to have survived a series of cabinet reshuffles that promoted allies of the crown prince, who is the king’s son and heir to the throne. King Salman has sidelined other senior members of the royal family to prevent any opposition to the crown prince. Prince Mohammed, 32, replaced his elder cousin, Muhammed bin Nayef, as crown prince in June, a maneuver that removed any doubt of how succession plans will unfold following the reign of King Salman, now 81. While details remain scarce about this "Saturday of the long Saudi knives" - which some have suggested may be a countercoup attempt - DPA confirms the Al Arabiya report that three senior state officials were sacked. Salman relieved Prince Moteib bin Abdullah of his post as minister of the National Guard, replacing him with Khaled bin Ayaf, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported. Additionally, Minister of Economy and Planning Adel al-Faqieh was replaced by Mohammed al-Tuwaijri, SPA said, quoting a royal decree. Commander of the Saudi Navy, Abdullah al-Sultan, was replaced with Fahad al-Ghafli. No official explanation was given for the sackings. In recent months, the Saudi monarch has carried out a string of reshuffles appointing young people in senior state posts. In June, Salman ousted his nephew as the crown prince and appointed his son Mohammed to become the first in line to succeed him. The monarch on Saturday ordered the creation of an anti-corruption committee led by the crown prince amid a rumoured crackdown on suspected tainted officials and royals. Mohammed, 31, is seen as the driving force behind opening up the ultra-conservative country to the outside world and weaning its economy off oil. Furthermore, there is speculation that all private flights and VIP departures out of Saudi Arabia have been suspended temporarily, similar to what happened following the last "gentle coup" in June when Prince Mohammed (MBS), 32, replaced his elder cousin, Muhammed bin Nayef, as crown prince in June, a maneuver that removed any doubt of how succession plans will unfold following the reign of King Salman, now 81. 2h حسن سجواني ✔@HSajwanization Replying to @HSajwanization HISTORIC night | Up untill 12am KSA time: A total of 18 Princes have been arrested in #KSA in corruption and bribery charges pic.twitter.com/H470SNCJFF حسن سجواني ✔@HSajwanization #BREAKING : unconfirmed news: all private flights and VIP departures in #KSA are suspended temporarily https://twitter.com/aviationwg/status/926917893710901248 … 6:14 PM - Nov 4, 2017 1212 Replies 259259 Retweets 173173 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy According to the AngryArab blog, the removal of Prince Miteb bin Abdullah as head of the National Guard, means that "this is the first time that the National Guard is not in the hand of Abdullah or his son." That put all apparatus of the military-intelligence network in the hands of Muhammad bin Salman. News that Al-Walid bin Talal has been arrested and accused of money laundering. This could be a service to Trump, who hates Al-Walid: the two fought it out on twitter during the campaign although Al-Walid tried to reconcile with Trump after his election but to no avail. Bin Talal's arrest and the government reshuffle caps off a bizarre day for Saudi newsflow, which started with the resignation of Palestinian prime minister Saad al-Hariri, who announced he was quitting due to fears of an assassination plot, allegedly organized by Iran, followed shortly after by the Saudi defense forces intercepting a ballistic missile as it was about to strike the capital Riyadh. To summarise today's even more bizarre Saudi news day: Trump urges Aramco IPO Lebanon PM resigns Saudis intercept missile Major cabinet reshuffle; 3 Saudi princes - who run the anti-graft committee - arrested for money-laundering A total of 11 princes, >30 ministers arrested on corruption This is a developing story.
NYT: Saudi Arabia Arrests 11 Princes, Including Billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-waleed-bin-talal.html Saudi Arabia announced the arrest on Saturday night of the prominent billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, plus at least 10 other princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers. The announcement of the arrests was made over Al Arabiya, the Saudi-owned satellite network whose broadcasts are officially approved. The reports in Al Arabiya and from other sources that Prince Alwaleed was among those arrested were sure to send shock waves both through the Kingdom and the world’s major financial centers. Prince Alwaleed, who controls the investment firm Kingdom Holding and is one of the world’s richest men, has major stakes in News Corp, Time Warner, Citigroup, Twitter, Apple, Motorola and many other well-known companies. He also controls satellite television networks watched across the Arab world. The sweeping campaign of arrests appears to be the latest move to consolidate the power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the favorite son and top adviser of King Salman. (More at above url)
A resignation, detentions and missiles: 24 hours that shook the Middle East http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/05/middleeast/middle-east-eventful-24-hours-analysis/index.html When 32-year-old Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman rose to power two years ago, many predicted that change was afoot. The events of November 4 have shown that change would not just be swift, but also seismic, extending unremittingly beyond the kingdom's boundaries. A 24-hour sequence of political bombshells began on Saturday afternoon, when Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation from the Saudi capital of Riyadh, blindsiding his country's political establishment. Hours later, Saudi Arabia's official news agency reported that the country's military had intercepted a Yemen-borne ballistic missile over Riyadh. Even as images of the blast were flashing on TV sets around the region, similarly dramatic news began to trickle in: Some of Saudi Arabia's most high-profile princes and businessmen were being sacked and detained in an anti-corruption drive led by bin Salman. The events serve as an opening salvo for a new period in the region's crisis-ridden history, analysts say. They represent an escalation in a yearslong proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, threatening to activate new fronts in the region, with the Saudi show of force beginning with a sweeping consolidation of power from within. (More at above url)
I read this a couple of weeks ago. I think he is the one attempting to clean house. (pun intended) Saudi Arabia’s ambitious young crown prince has said he will lead his country back to “moderate Islam” as he announced plans for a vast new £380 billion economic development zone. Prince Mohammed bin Salman told investors gathered in Riyadh that his economic modernisation plans would go hand-in-hand with with political reforms to guide the conservative kingdom away from severe Wahhabi Islam. "We are returning to what we were before - a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world," the 32-year-old prince said. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/24/saudi-prince-promises-lead-country-back-moderate-islam/
Saudi Helicopter Carrying 8 High-Ranking Officials & Prince Bin-Muqrin Crashed Near Yemen Border - All Dead Nov 5, 2017 3:10 PM 1.2K SHARES TwitterFacebookReddit The shocking latest twist in what has been a chaotic weekend in Saudi Arabia is news that a helicopter transporting 8 high-ranking Saudi officials (including prince Mansour bin-Muqrin) has crashed in the south of the Kingdom, near the border with Yemen. As PTI reports, a Saudi prince was killed today when a helicopter with several officials on board crashed near the kingdom's southern border with war-torn Yemen, state television said. The news channel Al-Ekhbariya announced the death of Prince Mansour bin Muqrin, the deputy governor of Asir province and son of a former crown prince. It did not reveal the cause of the crash or the fate of the other officials aboard the aircraft. The crash also comes after Saudi Arabia yesterday intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile near Riyadh's international airport after it was fired from Yemen in an escalation of the kingdom's war against Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Sky News Arabia confirms an earlier report from Al-Watan news..."Newsletter: loss of a helicopter carrying a number of officials in the southern Asir, Saudi Arabia" سكاي نيوز عربية-الآن ✔@SkyNewsArabia_B الإخبارية السعودية: فقدان طائرة مروحية تقل عددا من المسؤولين في عسير جنوبي السعودية 2:59 PM - Nov 5, 2017 55 Replies 5252 Retweets 8787 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Details are few for now but some headlines report that the high-ranking officials aboard included Crown Prince Mansour bin-Muqrin, deputy Emir of Asir province. He was a son of Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the ex-intelligence chief who briefly was Saudi Arabia's crown prince from January to April 2015. SaadAbedine ✔@SaadAbedine #Saudi state tv just announced the death of Prince Mansour bin Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Asir Region, in a helicopter crash https://twitter.com/alekhbariyatv/status/927267252906414080 … 3:16 PM - Nov 5, 2017 1414 Replies 132132 Retweets 3737 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy The following video shows the crown prince and the group of officials just a few short hours before the crash... الأمير منصور بن مقرن @hrhpmmugrin سمو #الأمير_منصور_بن_مقرن نائب أمير #عسير خلال جولته بمحافظة #البرك متفقداً عدداً من المشاريع التنموية للمحافظة .. 6:38 AM - Nov 5, 2017 395395 Replies 1,3481,348 Retweets 448448 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy This is allegedly the group boarding the chopper (unverified)... The crash site is reported near Abha, in the south of The Kingdom, near the border with Yemen. There are sources saying all aboard have died... MESP @mestrate KSA :A helicopter with Saudi officials on board(among them : vice-governor of Asir Mansour bin Muqrin) crashed today:all passengers died https://twitter.com/okaz_online/status/927264934748131330 … 3:07 PM - Nov 5, 2017 33 Replies 3333 Retweets 33 likes Twitter Ads info and privacy Search parties are at the site of the crash...