EU Lawmakers Concerned MBS May Kill Ex-rival In Saudi Jail

By Staff, Agencies

The largest bloc at the European Parliament voiced concerns that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman [MBS] may attempt to kill his predecessor and onetime rival, Mohammed bin Nayef, while in custody.

In a statement, the European People’s Party [EPP] called for the immediate disclosure of the fate of bin Nayef and his protection from murder by the heir to the Saudi throne, the Doha-based Al Jazeera broadcaster reported on Tuesday.

The group said it has obtained evidence suggesting that bin Nayef’s health condition has deteriorated in Saudi jail.

The EPP described bin Nayef’s continued detention as a source of concern for Europe, urging MBS to refrain from eliminating his critics and political rivals.

MBS became Saudi Arabia’s crown prince on the back of a 2017 palace coup that ousted bin Nayef.

Since his ouster, bin Nayef has effectively been under house arrest and prevented from leaving the kingdom.

In March, he was arrested as part of a renewed purge of royal family members over an alleged coup attempt to unseat King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his son.

The Washington Post revealed earlier this month that MBS was preparing a set of corruption and disloyalty charges against bin Nayef to demand a $15-billion settlement from the detained prince.

Meanwhile, just last week a campaign was launched on Twitter, with users posting thousands of tweets all of which blamed bin Nayef and his long-time aide for wide-spread corruption, in an apparent bid to discredit him ahead of a possible indictment.

Some reports predict that bin Salman — the kingdom’s de facto leader — will ascend to the throne before the 2020 US presidential election amid uncertainty over the health condition of his hospitalized 84-year-old father.

MBS is the architect of Saudi Arabia’s bloody war on Yemen and the prime suspect in the brutal killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.