Crown Prince Behind Arrest of Saudi Princes and Billionaires

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to be consolidating power with an anti-corruption campaign targeting many princes and billionaires.

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Photo: dailyarabnews.

Two weeks ago, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (often referred to as MBS), 32, ordered the arrest of more than 200 businessmen, princes and even ministers on corruption charges.

They were detained at the luxury Ritz Carlton and Marriott hotels in Riyadh. Among them were two of MBS’s most prominent cousins, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who ran the National Guard until earlier this month, and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent billionaires. About 1,700 personal bank accounts were frozen.

Analysts say this is a move to eliminate political opponents to clear the way before Crown Prince MBS ascends the throne. Colin Kahl, a professor at Georgetown University, commented: "This seems to be the final step to consolidate MBS's power by eliminating potential rivals."

Crown Prince MBS is trying to use the anti-corruption campaign to boost his popularity with the Saudi people, said Jason Tuvey, a Middle East economist at Capital Economics.

Reuters reported that the Saudi government had made deals with the detainees, requiring them to hand over assets and cash in exchange for their freedom. "Crown Prince MBS may have realized that he was going too far and was offending a lot of people. So he tried to find a way for these people not to be in prison forever and to be able to continue their business as before."

Mohammed bin Salman was appointed crown prince in June. He is the son of King Salman, 81. The crown prince currently holds the positions of defense minister, deputy prime minister, chairman of the Supreme Economic Council, head of the board that oversees oil giant Saudi Aramco, head of the Public Investment Fund and a key member of the Political and Security Council.

“MBS and his father are the most powerful leaders Saudi Arabia has ever had,” said Bernard Haykel, an expert at Princeton University.

Confronting Iran

Shortly after Salman became King of Saudi Arabia in January 2015, MBS was appointed Minister of Defense at the age of 29. Two months later, the young defense minister led Saudi forces into the war in Yemen, aimed at countering Iran’s influence in the region.

Saudi Arabia and Iran, the two Sunni- and Shiite-led states in the Middle East, are at odds with each other. In Yemen, the Houthis, Shiite rebels from the north, overthrew the Sunni government, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene.

In a televised interview in May, MBS dismissed the possibility of dialogue with Iranian officials, saying Iran's goal was to "control the Muslim world" and spread Shiism.

Now, six months after that interview, tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran are even higher over the crisis involving Lebanon.

Two weeks ago, Lebanon's Sunni Muslim Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, traveled to Saudi Arabia and later announced his resignation on Saudi television.

Mr Hariri accused Iran of meddling in the “internal affairs of Arab countries”. Mr Hariri, who is both a Lebanese and a Saudi citizen, has long been a weak leader in a Lebanese government partly controlled by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shiite militant group. Shortly after his resignation, a missile was fired across the Saudi border from Yemen.

As defense secretary, MBS has also signed multi-billion dollar contracts with the US. Since January, he has become close to the Trump administration, especially with Trump's son-in-law and trusted adviser, Jared Kushner.

Since taking office, President Trump has shown that he favors a Saudi-led Middle East and has taken a tough stance on Iran, after President Obama spent years trying to normalize relations with Tehran through the 2015 nuclear deal.

Critics call Mr. MBS reckless, while supporters call him a bold young leader whose style appeals to young people.

"We are entering a new era, there are many changes. The country is going in the right direction," said Abdulaziz Albassam, 28, a Harvard graduate who runs a startup funding fund.

According to VNE