Two mistakes lead to dismissal of Saudi prince

Two mistakes lead to dismissal of Saudi prince
Sun Aug 11, 2013 21:47:26

A Saudi activist has revealed the details of the early removal of Prince Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammad Al Saud as deputy defense minister and the appointment of Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdel-Aziz to the post, al-Alam reports.

In his latest revelations, the activist who uses the pseudonym of Mujtahidd on Twitter and has turned into a reliable source of secret news in his country, said that the appointment of Fahd bin Abdullah as the arm of Royal Diwan chief of staff Khalid al-Tuwaijri and the Commander of the Saudi National Guard Mutaib bin Abdullah in the Defense Ministry was to be a step to transfer power to Mutaib, but Fahd bin Abdullah’s personal measures and his interest in robbery led to his removal.

Fahd bin Abdullah thought that he was a part of al-Tuwaijri’s plan to enable Mutaib to do what he likes in the Defense Ministry, but he made two catastrophic mistakes that the Al Saud family would never forgive, the Saudi activist added.

Fahd’s first mistake was that he forgot that he was not a grandson of Abdel-Aziz, the first king of Saudi Arabia, and thought that al-Tuwaijri’s support would let him push the Abdel-Aziz family to the margin, so he did what was worse than heresy in the opinion of Al Saud, Mujtahidd continued.

The second mistake was that Fahd forgot that he who enrages the United States has indeed enraged the king and the US dissatisfaction of any official means that he will be removed sooner or later, the Saudi activist noted.

Fahd bin Abdullah is fond of the French and enjoys close relations with them which provided an opportunity for robbery and acquiring arms contracts. After coming to power, Fahd clearly criticized the US plan to reform the Defense Ministry, to pave the way for France to enter the arena as an alternative, Mujtahidd said.

Saudi King Abdullah appointed Prince Salman bin Sultan as deputy defense minister in a move that strengthens his credentials for future high office in the world's top oil exporter.

Prince Salman replaces Prince Fahd bin Abdullah from a minor branch of the ruling family who was appointed to the job less than four months ago.

Saudi Arabia's Defense Ministry is responsible for agreeing arms contracts worth billions of dollars that Riyadh has in the past used to cement relationships with key allies.

HH/HH

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