‘I will shake his hand with poison ring, he will be done’
RIYADH: A former senior security official in exile from Saudi Arabia has accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of having wanted to murder the late king, according to a new TV interview.
The claims by Saad al-Jabri are part of a feud within the Saudi royal family, which is threatening to lead to embarrassing revelations for Western allies including Britain and the US.
Jabri served for years as the link between Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the former interior minister and security chief, and Western intelligence agencies. He went into exile when the prince fell foul of his cousin “MBS”, as the crown prince is known. In a CBS interview, Jabri said MBS was a “psychopath” who even before his rise to power had threatened to kill King Abdullah with a poisoned ring.
Jabri said MBS had told his own former boss, Bin Nayef, in 2014, the year before the monarch died: “I get a poison ring from Russia. It’s enough to shake hands with him. He will be done.”
In 2014 MBS was serving as chief of staff to his father, Prince Salman, Abdullah’s younger halfbrother who was crown prince. A few months after Salman succeeded to the throne, Bin Nayef was appointed crown prince, but he was forced out by MBS in 2017.
MBS and his court said Jabri was corrupt and embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars.