MBS orders arrest of 3 senior Saudi princes including King’s brother

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) detained three senior members of the kingdom’s royal family yesterday.

King Salman’s younger brother, and Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, the king’s nephew, were arrested and accused of treason, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times have reported.

The two men, who had once been in line for the throne, are now under threat of lifetime imprisonment or execution, people familiar with the matter said.

Saudi authorities also detained Nayef’s younger brother, Prince Nawaf Bin Nayef.

This comes two years ago Bin Salman ordered the arrested of princes and officials in what he said was a “crackdown on corruption” but which many believe was a campaign to take control of billions in assets.

On Friday morning, guards from the Saudi royal court wearing masks and dressed in black arrived at the homes of the two men, took them into custody and searched their homes, the Journal reported.

Mohammed Bin Nayef is the former interior minister who has been under house arrest since he was removed from that post by MBS in 2017.