Saudi prince held over ‘abuse videos’

No matter who you are — prince, minister, citizen — no one is above the law A Saudi citizen

riyadh — A Saudi prince was arrested on Thursday on the order of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, a state-run broadcaster reported, after videos appeared on social media which showed him abusing members of the public.

King Salman issued a warrant for “the immediate arrest ... and imprisonment” of Prince Saud, along with a group of men who appeared in the videos uploaded to YouTube, Al Ikhbariya television reported.

Saudi Arabia’s state TV reported on Wednesday that the king ordered a full investigation into the incidents.

In the order, King Salman urged people to remain vigilant in monitoring any exploitation of status or abuse of power.

A video circulating on social media showed police escorting the young prince out of a house in handcuffs.

The arrest came after the prince, whose face can clearly be seen in some of the videos shared via Twitter on Wednesday, unleashed a wave of verbal and physical abuse on Saudis and foreigners.

A video showed him shouting at a dazed driver bleeding from the mouth, his clothes splattered with blood.

In another video, a man moaning and clutching his head is led out of a house with an automatic rifle pointed at his back.

The prince also pummels a man cowering in a chair who waits for him to pause and insists, “Honest to God, I didn’t do anything. I swear to God.”

The videos have sparked anger on social media, with users identifying as Saudi citizens calling for the prince to be put on trial.

“No matter who you are — prince, minister, citizen — no one is above the law,” read one tweet.

The victims in the videos will be called to testify in court, according to a royal decree carried by Al Ikhbariya.