ROUNDUP OF SAUDI SENIOR PRINCES EXPANDS

The scope of a new roundup of Saudi royals widened Saturday with word that a fourth senior prince has been detained under orders from the crown prince, according to two people close to the royal family, the latest step by the kingdom’s de facto ruler to consolidate power.

The wave of arrests has ensnared a former head of army intelligence, Prince Nayef bin Ahmed, as well as at least three other senior princes, all detained on Friday. The full extent of the roundup was not clear.

At least two, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the crown prince’s uncle, and Mohammed bin Nayef, the crown prince’s cousin, have reportedly been charged with treason.

The detentions raised questions about whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, 34, would soon seek to take formal power from his aging father, King Salman, 84. They could also indicate that the crown prince was worried about discontent within the royal family as plummeting oil prices strained the country’s budget and economy, according to analysts who follow the royals.

The arrests fueled speculation about the status of the king, three people close to the family said Saturday. But the monarch was photographed in recent days meeting with the visiting British foreign secretary. And a doctor with ties to the Saudi hospital that treats many royals said it had received no word that the king was ill.

The crown prince has cracked down before on the privilege and clout of his own family in order to tighten his own grip on power. But the number and prominence of the princes detained this time sent ripples of fear through the family, several people close to them said. Family members were trying to discern whether the crown prince ordered the arrests out of fear of a plot against him or was perhaps seeking to eliminate potential obstacles to his succession to the throne.