News Desk |
11 Saudi princes, a government minister, and businessmen spent their night in a luxurious hotel after being arrested by Saudi authorities on corruption charges. These arrests are being considered as the biggest anti-corruption purge of the kingdom’s modern history.
In a photo released by Daily Mail, the men are seen gathered together at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, inside one of its glittering function rooms – wrapped in blankets and sleeping on thin mattresses. Saudi sources say that among those photographed in the room is billionaire investor Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, who is a nephew of the king, worth an estimated $18 billion and owns stakes in Twitter, Lyft, and Citigroup. Prince Al-Waleed is accused of money laundering, bribery, and extorting officials, an official told Reuters on Sunday.
The arrests that began late Saturday also included Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who for the past four years had led the National Guard, and Prince Adel Fakeih, who was the minister of the economy since April. The photograph of princes on bare mattresses shows the depth of their fall.
President Trump supported Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and welcomed this move in a tweet. In two tweets sent as he prepared to leave Japan for South Korea on a lengthy Asian tour, he said: ‘I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing….
‘….Some of those they are harshly treating have been “milking” their country for years!’
I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2017
….Some of those they are harshly treating have been “milking” their country for years!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2017
While these arrests are being hailed by international media, some quarters expressed their concerns by stating that these arrests have nothing to do with corruption, rather they are politically motivated. They opined that such arrests are being made to curb any opposition to the crown prince who is already facing resistance from clergy which is skeptical about his modernization reforms, especially the lifting of a driving ban on women.
Pundits also opined that the timings of these arrests are crucial since MBS wants to quickly subdue domestic opposition so that he can focus on the regional rival Iran. They also expressed their concerns that situation in the Middle East, especially in the Gulf region, will exacerbate due to Saudi-Iranian face off.