House divided: How Saudi crown prince purged royal family rivals
BEIRUT/RIYADH: The first hint that something was amiss came in a letter.
On November 4, guests at Riyadh’s Ritz Carlton were notified by the opulent hotel that: “Due to unforeseen booking by local authorities which requires an elevated level of security, we are unable to accommodate guests ... until normal operations are restored.”
The purge was already under way. Within hours security forces had rounded up dozens of members of Saudi Arabia’s political and business elite. Among them were 11 princes as well as ministers and wealthy tycoons.
The detainees were allowed a single, brief phone call home, a person familiar with the arrests told Reuters.
The purge was ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 32. Officially next in line to the throne to his father King Salman, he is now in effect running the country which he has said he will transform into a modern state.
To do that - and in an attempt to shore up his own power - he has decided to go after the Saudi elite, including some members of the royal family, on accusations such as taking bribes and inflating the cost of business projects.
The Crown Prince believes that unless the country changes, the economy will sink into a crisis that could fan unrest. That could threaten the royal family and weaken the country in its regional rivalry with Iran.
Prince Mohammed decided to move on his family, the person familiar with events said, when he realised more relatives opposed him becoming king than he had thought.
Widely known in Saudi Arabia by his initials MbS, the prince had said openly in interviews that he would investigate the kingdom’s endemic corruption and would not hesitate to go after top officials.
The vehicle was an anti-corruption committee created by King Salman, and announced on November 4.
By launching a war on corruption, the prince has combined a popular cause with the elimination of an obstacle to acceding to the throne.