Saudi Whistle-Blower:

Saad Al-Hariri Forced to Resign

Rasa - Saudi whistle-blower Mujtahid, who is believed to be a member of or have a well-connected source in the royal family, revealed that Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri was forced by the Saudi officials to resign.

News ID: 434637

Date: 06 November 2017 - 21:18

RNA - "Hariri played no role in his resignation. The statement issued by Hariri was written for him and he was displeased with its contents and declaration of resignation in Riyadh," Mujtahid wrote on his twitter page on Monday.

He also dismissed Hariri's claims that his resignation is for the fear of life, and said Hezbollah poses no threat to Hariri and based on the intelligence obtained by the Saudi security bodies the Takfiri groups are a bigger danger.

Mujtahid added that the main reason behind recalling Hariri to Riyadh was returning his properties from outside Saudi Arabia as he is a Saudi citizen and is now under detention along with the country's princes and officials who have been recently arrested.

A former Lebanese minister revealed on Sunday that Hariri is under detention in Saudi Arabia.

"I call on the Lebanese government to guarantee Saad Hariri's safe return to the country and I emphasize that he has been detained and he was interrogated after his friend (Khalid) al-Tuwaijri (Chief of the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia under King Abdullah) was arrested," Wiam Wahhab was quoted as saying by Bahrain's Arabic-language al-Wasat newspaper.

The Saudi media reported that the country's security forces have detained a number of princes and former ministers and officials, including al-Tuwaijiri.

Al-Hariri resigned during a trip to Saudi Arabia in a surprise move that plunged the country into uncertainty amid heightened regional tensions.

In a televised address from Riyadh, al-Hariri launched a vicious tirade against Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group for what he claimed was their meddling in Arab affairs.

Al-Hariri was appointed prime minister in late 2016 and headed a 30-member national unity cabinet.

Al-Hariri’s resignation on Saturday was expected to sharply raise tensions in the country.

In his speech, he claimed he feared for his life and that the atmosphere in the country is similar to the one that existed before his father, the late prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, was assassinated in 2005.

847/940