Three Saudi princes charged with treason

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THREE senior members of Saudi Arabia’s royal family, including King Salman’s brother, have been arrested and accused of plotting to overthrow the secretive kingdom’s leadership.

Guards from the royal court detained Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Prince Nawaf bin Nayef at their homes on Friday before charging them with treason, it was reported.

The move appears to be part of a wider attempt by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the king’s favourite son and de facto Saudi ruler, to consolidate power.

The Crown Prince also arrested nearly a dozen senior royals in 2017, supposedly in a crackdown on corruption, after ousting Mohammed bin Nayef, who was then heir to the throne.

Prince Mohammed is said to have alienated swathes of the ruling family since taking power, and some have questioned whether he is fit to rule after he allegedly ordered the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

Though reports of a coup attempt were not confirmed, a handful of Saudi royals are reportedly trying to change the succession, with some regarding Prince Ahmed, King Salman’s only surviving full brother, as an option.

However, Saudi insiders and western diplomats say it is unlikely the Crown Prince would be deposed while King Salman, 84, is still alive.

Prince Ahmed has largely kept a low profile since returning to Riyadh in October 2018 after two years abroad. He was one of only three people on the Allegiance Council, made up of the ruling Al Saud family’s senior members, who opposed Mohammed bin Salman becoming crown prince in 2017.