Saudi Arabia detains 3 senior members of royal family: reports

RIYADH: Saudi Authorities have detained three senior members of Saudi Arabia’s royal family, including King Salman’s brother and nephew for unexplained reasons, United States media reported.

Reports signaling that the powerful Crown Prince King Salman is further tightening his grip on power.

The US-based newspaper cited unnamed sources that Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, brother of King Salman, and the monarch’s nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef were taken from their homes early Friday by royal guards after being accused of treason.

The newspaper further reported that the Saudi royal court has accused the two men, once potential contenders for the throne, of “plotting a coup to unseat the king and crown prince” and could face life imprisonment or execution.

Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

These detentions marked the latest crackdown by the current Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has tightened his grip on power with the imprisonment of several princes and elites.

Earlier in June 2017, Prince Mohammed had edged out Prince Nayef, the former crown prince and interior minister, to become heir to the Arab world’s most powerful throne.