Saudi Whistle-Blower Reveals New Family Arrests by MbS

Saudi whistle-blower Mujtahid, who is believed to be a member of or have a well-connected source in the royal family, disclosed new differences in al-Saud family, adding that the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has detained several of his opponents, including his brother Bandar.

News ID: 444878

Date: 13 May 2019 - 22:45

RNA - Mujtahid wrote on his twitter page on Saturday that Bandar bin Salman was detained a while ago at the MbS' order and transferred to a solitary confinement in a farm in al-Kharj region in the Southern parts of Riyadh.

He added that bin Salman's mother who has recently been freed from house arrest is very sad about the issue but has not been able to do anything about it.

Mujtahid also said that the MbS' attempts to return Sa'ad al-Jabri, the right hand advisor of former Saudi interior minister Mohammed bin Nayef, who is in the US have failed so far and therefore, bin Salman has ordered his forces to detain two of Sa'ad's brothers and threatened that other members of his family will also be arrested if he does not return home.

The Saudi crown prince has also pressured his nephew Khalid bin Talal not to exit from a hospital in which his son has been kept in coma for years, he added.

According to Mujtahid, Sheikh Jamil al-Farsi is one of the prominent tribal leaders in Jeddah who has been kept under detention for over a year at the MbS' order.

The Saudi whistle-blower also said that the crown prince who is fearing a coup in the interior ministry has separated the military sectors from the ministry and put them under the supervision of the defense ministry.

Arab media outlets had also reported in January that bin Salman had put his younger brother, Bandar, under house arrest.

"Sources have told us that Mohammed bin Salman has detained his brother Bandar bin Salman and sent to the place where his mother Fahda Al Hathleen has also been kept under house arrest for a long time in the palace of Prince Sultan in Abha," the Arabic-language al-Ahd al-Jadid wrote on its twitter page.

US officials believe, based on several years of intelligence, that MbS took action against his mother, because he was concerned that she opposed his plans for a power grab that could divide the royal family and might use her influence with the king to prevent it.

The officials added that MbS had placed his mother under house arrest at least for some time at a palace in Saudi Arabia, without the king's knowledge.

The US intelligence assessment of the Crown Prince's actions against his mother, which American officials said has long been concealed from both the King and the public, is an example of MbS's willingness to remove any perceived impediment to solidifying his position as Saudi Arabia's next king, the current and former officials said.

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