RIYADH – The apparent disappearance of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed binSalman from the public eye has led several Iranian and Russian mediaoutlets to wonder if one of the most powerful men in the kingdom might’vebeen killed during an attempted coup last month.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was allegedly hit by two bulletsduring the April 21 attack on the royal palace in Riyadh and may actuallybe dead as he has not appeared in public since the incident, Russia’sSputnik and Iran’s Kayhan newspaper reportslink>citing“a secret service report sent to the senior officials of an unnamed Arabstate.”
No new photo or video of bin Salman has been released by Saudi state mediasince that incident, which happened just after the young heir to the thronewrapped up a whirlwind global tour meant to advertise himself as the newpower in the kingdom.
Bin Salman was not even seen on camera when new US Secretary of State MikePopmeo paid his maiden visit to Riyadh in late April.
Although reports said the crown prince had hosted a working dinner with thetop American diplomat, only images of Pompeo’s meetings with Saudi KingSalman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir werepublished.
The long disappearance has raised speculation about the fate of the crownprince.
Some sources claimed that the attack on April 21 was part of a coup led bySaudi royals who are opposed to King Salman, while other reports indicatedthat the shooting occurred when the palace guards targeted a small dronewhich came too close to Salman’s residence.
Saudi activists said that the shooting had nothing to do with the drone,but it was an attack from vehicles carrying heavy machine guns and shootingrandomly.
It was claimed that bin Salman had been evacuated to a nearby bunker at amilitary base for his safety.
A number of journalists in Riyadh were reporting heavy fire outside palacecompound.
Saudi opposition groups also suggest that the April shooting had forced BinSalman to ban the royal family members from leaving the country for fearthat his cousin and former crown prince, Muhammad bin Nayef, would try totopple him.
In addition to the internal power struggle within the royal family, BinNayef and Mutab Bin Abdullah, son of a late king, both were dissatisfiedwith Saudi-led aggression against Yemen and siege of Qatar.
The attack on palace came after a self-promoting campaign at home, whichsaw hundreds of royals and businessmen detained and tortured. Most of themwere later released after reaching financial settlement deals with thekingdom.
Since the raids targeting hundreds of influential businessmen and the oldpolitical leadership, fear is present in every conversation, the fear ofbeing the next one to be interrogated, arrested or even tortured.
Reports from those who were locked up, in addition to reports of a death atthe Ritz, indicate that such fears may not be farfetched.
This is while bin Salman has refused to reveal his own wealth, saying it isa private matter amid reports of his opulent lifestyle at a time theoil-rich kingdom is introducing austerity measures.
Perhaps the strangest thing about this uprising against the wealthy and thepowerful, though, is that it is coming from above, from a 32-year-old whois rebelling against his own class in the hopes of ultimately being thelast man standing.
Although there has always been competition from within the royal family,and criticism of its behaviour from outside, the approximately 15,000princes and princesses and their hangers-on were widely seen as untouchable.
Bin Salman possesses a deep desire for power. But he also has littleexperience, which some consider to be a potentially dangerous combination.
The reckless crown prince has offended the Muslim nations by repeatedlytaking an anti-Palestinian stance.
The warming of Riyadh-Tel Aviv relations has gathered pace since June 2017,when bin Salman became the crown prince.
In recent months, the kingdom has been gradually softening its publicposture toward Israel in what analysts describe as an attempt by Riyadh toprepare public opinion at home and elsewhere for potential normal relationswith Israel.
Last November, Lebanon’s al-Akhbar daily published a secret undated letterfrom Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir to bin Salman, in which heoutlined a roadmap for normalizing ties with Israel with the ultimate goalof uniting against Iran, their common enemy.
Bin Salman in March during his three-week tour of the United States alsomet with leaders of a number of pro-Israeli lobbying groups, including theAmerican Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Bin Salman during the US visit also said that Palestinians should eitheraccept peace proposals or “shut up.”
The remarks caused a storm of fury among Muslim nations.