Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Social media activists have grappled with the allegations published by the British Guardian newspaper with an article about how Saudi Crown Prince Prince Mohammed bin Salman came to the position of crown prince in the Kingdom.
CNN Arabic has reached out to Saudi authorities for comment on the allegations contained in the article, with no response at the time of writing.
And the newspaper stated in an article entitled “The godfather the Saudi way: inside the coup that brought Mohammed bin Salman to power”: “The night before, June 20, 2017, Nayef, the king’s nephew, was forced to stepping down from assuming the Saudi throne in an episode that described One of those familiar with the royal family’s affairs told me that you are the “spiritual father, Saudi-style.”
And the newspaper continued: “Nayef, who oversaw national security, was Saudi Arabia’s closest ally at the CIA. Earlier that year, then CIA Director Mike Pompeo awarded him a medal in recognition of his counterterrorism efforts that have saved American lives.Two years ago, after King Salman took over his rule, Nayef became crown prince at the age of 55, making him next in line to the throne.But the feud Behind the scenes has been fierce competition between Nayef and his cousin, the King’s Son, Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he’s known, who rose from obscurity to become deputy crown prince.
And the Saudi monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, had ordered, with a royal decree, to exempt Prince Muhammad bin Nayef from the mandate of the Covenant, and from the position of deputy prime minister and that of interior minister, and to choose the prince Muhammad bin Salman as crown prince, and to appoint him as deputy prime minister in addition to the defense ministry and his continuation in the other duties assigned to him, according to a statement published by the official Saudi news agency, “SPA”. .
On June 21, 2017, the official Saudi channel Al-Ekhbariya published a clip in which Prince Muhammad bin Nayef swears allegiance to Muhammad bin Salman, and the latter responds by kissing his hand, emphasizing by saying: “We do not do without your directives and advice”.
Interestingly, Prince Muhammad bin Salman became prime minister on the order of the Saudi monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, last September, and the appointment of his brother, Prince Khalid bin Salman, to the post of defense minister.
