Saudi Arabia’s King could have his Crown Prince son replaced to restore the credibility of the monarchy amid turmoil over the Jamal Khashoggi murder, Britain’s former defence attaché to the kingdom has claimed.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has faced claims he may have been behind the death of the journalist who went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Saudi Arabia first denied any role in Khashoggi’s disappearance before blaming his October 2 death on a botched attempt to return him to the kingdom.
On Thursday, Jamal Khashoggi’s eldest son left Saudi Arabia for Washington DC with his family after a travel ban intended to lure the journalist home was lifted.
It came as Saudi prosecutors said the murder was planned and suspects were being interrogated.
According to Colonel Brian Lees, once the UK’s defence attaché to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, the Crown Prince’s days as de facto ruler are numbered and his father, King Salman, may now look to replace him following his disastrous handling of the case.
Colonel Lees, author of A Handbook of the Al Sa’ud Ruling Family of Saudi Arabia, told Rudaw: ‘The Saudis will never admit that MbS (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) was culpable but this does not mean that he is in the clear. I believe that the king – assuming he is in one of his “clear” periods – will get rid of MbS by replacing him.
‘He cannot do so immediately, or even in the next few months, because that would look like bowing to foreign pressure. He may use the already established device of using the special advisory council within the family to appoint a successor. This would certainly restore the credibility of the monarchy.’
Yesterday US President Donald Trump, in his toughest comments on the case yet, said the Crown Prince bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to the journalist’s killing, piling pressure on his ally.
Critics suspect the royal ordered the high-profile operation or at least knew about it.
But at an investment forum in Riyadh yesterday the defiant 33-year-old declared the murder a ‘heinous crime that cannot be justified’ and said Saudi Arabia was cooperating ‘to bring the perpetrators to justice’.
It come days after it emerged that King Salman is now personally intervening in the Khashoggi case amid claims he had been kept in the dark about the crisis by his powerful son’s aides.
The 82-year-old monarch has delegated vast powers to his son, essentially handing him the day-to-day running of the kingdom.
King Salman is pictured (right) shaking hands with the son of murdered Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh. The Crown Prince (second right) is pictured shaking hands with another man
But his 33-year-old heir is facing a battle to contain the fallout from the disappearance of Khashoggi amid claims the journalist was tortured, murdered and cut up after entering the Saudi consulate.
Such a development would prove hugely embarrassing for the young Crown Prince, who has implemented a series of high-profile social and economic reforms since being handed increasing authority to run Saudi Arabia.
Since he acceded to the throne in January 2015, the king has given MbS, his favourite son, increasing authority to run Saudi Arabia. But the king’s intervention reflects growing disquiet among some members of the royal court about MbS’s fitness to govern, five sources told Reuters last week.
MbS has implemented a series of high-profile reforms since his father’s accession, including ending a ban on women driving and opening cinemas in the conservative kingdom.
But he has also marginalized senior members of the royal family and consolidated control over Saudi’s security and intelligence agencies.
His reforms have been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, a purge of top royals and businessmen on corruption charges, and a costly war in Yemen.
Khashoggi’s disappearance has further tarnished the crown prince’s reputation, deepening questions among Western allies and some Saudis about his leadership.
‘Even if he is his favourite son, the king needs to have a comprehensive view for his survival and the survival of the royal family,’ a Saudi source with links to the royal court told Reuters. ‘In the end it will snowball on all of them.’ (Daily Mail)
