Deposed Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Nayaf 'confined to his palace'
29 Jun 2017 5:35 PM GMT
The former crown prince of Saudi Arabia, who was deposed last week to make way for the king's ambitious 31-year-old son, has reportedly been confined to his palace and banned from leaving the country. Mohammed bin Nayaf, a 57-year-old nephew of the king, was the heir to the throne and led the powerful interior ministry until he was stripped of his positions to clear a path for Mohammed bin Salman, the king's son.
According to the New York Times, bin Nayaf has now been told he cannot leave his palace in the coastal city of Jeddah and must stay inside Saudi Arabia. His personal bodyguards have reportedly been replaced by forces loyal to the new crown prince.
If confirmed, the move appears to be a palace intrigue by bin Salman aimed at constraining his deposed relative and giving himself space to consolidate his own power in Riyadh. The report undermines a narrative of unity put forward by Saudi state media, which was at pains to show unity between the two princes and to stress that there was no resentment from bin Nayaf towards the man who had taken his place in the royal line of succession.
Television footage showed the younger bin Salman kneeling in front of his older cousin and promising to continue to seek his council. Bin Nayaf replied: "I am content". While bin Salman is the defence minister, bin Nayaf controlled the interior ministry for five years giving him a power base within the country's internal security services.
The older man, sometimes known by his initials MBN, was also a close ally of the US who worked intensively with the American government in the fight against al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks.
US officials were reportedly horrified at how bin Nayaf's had been treated, recoiling at both his unceremonious deposing and his subsequent confinement to quarters. "MBN has been such a great friend and partner of the US, we would not want to see him treated inelegantly or indecorously," one official told The New York Times.
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