Saudi King Salman expected to ‘stand down and hand power to son after purging’ rivals
Saudi Arabia’s King to ‘stand down, [next week], and hand power to son after purging’ rivals
KING Salman is reportedly preparing to make his son Prince Mohammed bin Salman the ruler of Saudi Arabia in a shock move following a corruption purge
Real power in Saudi Arabia will be ceded by the king to his 32-year-old son, Mohammed Bin Salman
The King Salman intends to emulate the queen of England, playing a titular role as the “Custodian of the Holy Shrines”The crown prince recently made an audacious power play, rounding up 40 Saudi royals and key govt officials in corruption arrests
Driving home the message, he had them photographed sleeping on bare mattresses in at the luxury Ritz Carlton hotel
Significantly, he began by swapping out key intelligence and security chiefs
The move is seen as crucial, giving the prince authority to shift Saudi regional consolidation against Iran, a long standing rival oil empire to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East
A crucial ally, US president Donald Trump, has backed the Saudi ruler over his crackdown
Israel has signaled a willingness to share intelligence in the Iran containment focus
King Salman is reportedly preparing to make his son Prince Mohammed bin Salman the ruler of Saudi Arabia
The Saudi monarch, King Salman is reportedly preparing to make his son Prince Mohammed bin Salman the ruler of Saudi Arabia in a shock move following a corruption purge, reports claim.
The handover would follow the arrests of 11 princes and four ministers in an anti-corruption crackdown which has been referred to a power grab.
Billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal who holds stakes in Twitter and Citigroup was among those locked up when the five-star Ritz Carlton was transformed into a prison.
Dozens of officials, business leaders and their families are being held in the luxury hotels with video emerging appearing to show them sleeping on the floor.
Sources say the King will continue only as a ceremonial figurehead, handing over official leadership of the country to crown prince Mohammed, often referred to as ‘MBS’.
The handover is expected to be implemented next week.
The aging monarch is expected to maintain a titular role, much like the English monarchy, keeping the title “Custodian of the Holy Shrines,” according to inside sources.
“The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted” – Royal decree. Saudi King Salman [left] could stand down and hand power to his son,the crown prince [right], according to reports
The royal decree stated: “The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable.”
The new body was given broad powers to investigate cases, issue arrest warrants and travel restrictions and freeze assets.
This development came on the heels of reports that Prince Mansour bin Moqren had died in a mysterious helicopter crash and reports that another prince had been killed in a gunfight that was later found to be false.
King Salman presents Donald Trump with golden chain during state visit earlier this year. The US president backed the Saudi ruler over his crackdown
The controversial move has been interpreted as a naked power play by political opponents. They claim the goal of the purge went beyond corruption and aimed to remove potential opposition to Prince Mohammed as he pushes an ambitious and controversial reform agenda.
Describing the unilateral roundups as a break “with the tradition of consensus within the ruling family whose secretive inner workings are equivalent to those of the Kremlin at the time of the Soviet Union,” Saudi expert James Dorsey, noted that Prince Mohammed, “rather than forging alliances, is extending his iron grip to the ruling family, the military, and the National Guard to counter what appears to be more widespread opposition within the family as well as the military to his reforms and the Yemen war.”
Power play: Arrested royals and dignitaries are being ‘warehoused’ at the five-star Riyadh Ritz Carlton hotel. They were photographed sleeping on bare mattresses
The statement backed defense links between the allies following Saudi Arabia’s decision to blockade Yemen’s ports to stop weapons coming in from Iran.
Marine Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway said: “We continue to maintain strong defence ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and work together on common security priorities to include combat operations against violent extremist organisations, and neutralising Iran’s destabilising influence in the Middle East region.”
A coalition led by Saudi Arabia have closed all ground, air and sea access to Yemen following a rocket attack on Riyadh.
Donald Trump backed the Saudi monarchy over his crackdown on previously ‘untouchables’. A building bloc in forging a more dynamic front against a common foe
President Trump tweeted his support
Saudi authorities said the attack was a “clear act of aggression” by Iran and “could rise to be considered an act of war”.
US president, Donald Trump, has backed the Saudi monarch King Salman on Twitter following his purge of the country’s elite following claims of corruption.
The President tweeted: “I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing some of those they are harshly treating have been ‘milking’ their country for years.”
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