A Saudi 'Night of the Long Knives'? Prince Salman's crackdown

Fars News has picked up on a report that “DailyMail" had published earlier that MBS has hired Blackwater for his own protection and to interrogated those that were arrest. Considering the brutality of the interrogations, is it possible - there was a failed assassination attempt on MBS's life?

A report revealed Saudi Arabia has been using US mercenaries to torture Saudi princes and billionaires who have recently been arrested in the biggest purge of the country’s elite in the kingdom’s modern history.

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Report: Saudi Arabia Uses US Mercenaries to Torture Arrested Princes, Businessmen
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960902000617

The arrested Saudi princes and billionaire businessmen are being strung up by their feet and beaten by American private security contractors, a source in the kingdom said, Daily Mail reported.

“They are beating them, torturing them, slapping them, insulting them. They want to break them down,” the source said.

The mercenaries are provided by the notorious former American military service contractor “Blackwater” which has changed its name to “Academi,”
the report said.

Blackwater changed its name in 2009 after a group of its employees were convicted of committing torture, random killing and abuse of people in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Both Academi and its parent company Constellis have denied any involvement in Saudi Arabia and said they do not engage in torture, a practice which is illegal for any US citizen in any part of the world.

On November 4, dozens of Saudi princes, ministers, and former ministers were detained on the orders of Saudi Arabia’s so-called Anti-Corruption Committee headed by the crown prince.

Former spy chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan as well as billionaire prince and the king’s nephew Waleed bin Talal are among the notable businessmen and royals incarcerated.

According to the source, Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) has also confiscated over $194 billion from the bank accounts and seized assets of those arrested.

DailyMail.com’s source said MBS initially invited bin Talal to a meeting at his Al Yamamah palace, then sent officers to arrest him the night before the meeting.

“Suddenly at 2.45am all his guards were disarmed, the royal guards of MBS storm in,” said the source. “He was dragged from his own bedroom in his pajamas, handcuffed, put in the back of an SUV, and interrogated like a criminal.”

“All the guards in charge are private security because MBS does not want Saudi officers there who have been saluting those detainees all their lives,” said the source. “Outside the hotels where they are being detained you see the armored vehicles of the Saudi special forces. But inside, it’s a private security company.”

“They have transferred all the guys from Abu Dhabi. Now they are in charge of everything,” said the source.

The source noted that even Mohammed Bin Salman himself conducts some of the interrogations as he is desperate to assert his authority through fear and seeks to uncover an alleged network of foreign officials who have taken bribes from Saudi princes.

“When it is something big he asks them questions,” the source said. “He speaks to them very nicely in the interrogation, and then he leaves the room, and the mercenaries go in. The prisoners are slapped, insulted, hung up, tortured.”

Blackwater’s name had previously been mentioned by Lebanese President Michel Aoun following the purge. He tweeted that Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a Saudi-Lebanese citizen, was being detained in Riyadh by Blackwater guards, but he later deleted the tweet.

“Lebanese authorities have unconfirmed information that the Blackwater firm is guarding Hariri and his family, not official Saudi security forces,” Aoun had tweeted on November 15.

A high-profile Saudi whistleblower twitter account, @Ahdjadid also said King Salman has brought in at least 150 Blackwater guards.

“The first group of Blackwater mercenaries arrived in Saudi Arabia a week after the toppling of bin Nayef, Salman’s predecessor as crown prince,” the whistleblower tweeted. “They were around 150 people. Bin Salman sent some of them to secure bin Nayef’s place of detention and the rest he used for his own protection.”

Last week, the New York Times reported that Egypt’s former security chief during the Mubarak-era Habib el-Adly, who is notorious for his track record of brutality and use of torture, is reportedly serving as an advisor to Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia’s ailing 81-year-old monarch has been reportedly suffering from partial dementia and is said to be contemplating an abdication in favor of his son.

Many political observers interpret the entire crackdown as a purge against dissent before the crown prince’s rise to power.

'American mercenaries are torturing' Saudi elite rounded up by new crown prince - and billionaire Prince Alwaleed was hung upside down 'just to send a message'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5108651/American-mercenaries-torturing-Saudi-princes.html

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Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, the son of the late King Abdullah who was once considered a future crown prince, was beaten and tortured, along with five other princes, when he was arrested and interrogated in Riyadh during the ongoing political purge in the kingdom, Middle East Eye has confirmed.

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Saudi Torture Victims Include Former King’s Son
http://english.almanar.com.lb/388639

All six princes were admitted to hospital in the 24 hours following their arrest.

The BBC was granted a rare access to the five-star Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh, where dozens of Saudi elites have been held.

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Inside Saudi Arabia’s Gilded Prison at Riyadh Ritz-Carlton
http://english.almanar.com.lb/392918

The BBC reports that when they were brought to the hotel three weeks ago, the VIPs were angry, but they assumed it was a stunt for show and that they would not have to stay there long. But when they realized they were not being allowed to leave, they became furious.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri will no longer provide Hezbollah political cover, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman said in an interview published Thursday.

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Hariri wont cover for Hezbollah MBS tells NYT
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2017/Nov-24/427634-saudi-crown-prince-calls-iran-leader-new-hitler-nyt.ashx

In a wide-ranging interview conducted by the New York Time, writer Thomas L. Friedman reported that Prince Mohammad wouldn’t be drawn into details of Hariri's shock resignation announcement from Riyadh on Nov. 4. However, Friedman said the “bottom line of the whole affair is that Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, is not going to continue providing political cover for a Lebanese government that is essentially controlled by the ... Hezbollah, which is essentially controlled by Tehran.”

Many questions were raised about the reasoning of Hariri’s resignation in the wake of the announcement earlier this month.

The premier's resignation, however, wasn't accepted by President Michel Aoun, who expressed doubts that Hariri was speaking of his own free will and going further to say that Hariri was detained in Riyadh.

In his resignation speech, Hariri implicated Hezbollah in what he said was Iran’s race towards total domination. “Hezbollah was able to impose a reality in Lebanon by force of arms, and their intervention causes us great problems with our Arab allies," he said.

Iran, which backs Hezbollah, and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals.

Prince Mohammad also called the Supreme Leader of Iran "the new Hitler of the Middle East," sharply escalating the war of words between the arch-rivals.

The Sunni Muslim kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran back rival sides in wars and political crises throughout the region.

Prince Mohammed, who is also Saudi defense minister in the U.S.-allied oil giant kingdom, suggested the Islamic Republic's alleged expansion under Ayatollah Ali Khamenei needed to be confronted.

"But we learned from Europe that appeasement doesn't work. We don't want the new Hitler in Iran to repeat what happened in Europe in the Middle East," the paper quoted him as saying.

Saudi Arabia has launched thousands of air strikes in a two-and-a-half-year-old war in neighboring Yemen to defeat the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement that seized broad swaths of the country.

Salman told the Times that the war was going in its favor and that its allies controlled 85 percent of Yemen's territory.

The Houthis, however, still retain the main population centers despite the war effort by a Saudi-led military coalition which receives intelligence and refueling for its warplanes by the United States. Some 10,000 people have died in the conflict.

The group launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh's main airport on Nov. 4, which Saudi Arabia decried as an act of war by Tehran.

Bin Salman said in May that the kingdom would make sure any future struggle between the two countries "is waged in Iran."

For his part, Khamenei has referred to the House of Saud as an "accursed tree", and Iranian officials have accused the kingdom of spreading terrorism.

I wonder, if this declaration means an all-out war with Hezbollah?

The summit follows the Saudi crown prince's statement in favor of the country returning to "moderate Islam," which came amid a number of steps aimed at expanding women's rights.

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Saudi Crown Prince Vows to 'Wipe Terrorists Out From the Face of Earth' 26.11.2017
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201711261059447105-saudi-summit-counter-terror-crown-prince/

Saudi Arabia has gathered defense ministers and senior officials from 40 Muslim states at the first meeting of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, in a move described as a "clear signal" to extremism by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who vowed to "pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth."

Addressing the summit, the Saudi crown prince said, as quoted by Reuters, "In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries," adding that "this ends today, with this alliance."

According to the prince, the states are set to "work together to support the military, financial, intelligence and political efforts of every member state."

The Saudi-led coalition, which consists mostly of Sunni-majority states and excludes Iran, as well as Syria and Iraq, was created back in 2015 under the auspices of Saudi Prince Mohammed, who has recently been officially named as the heir to the kingdom's throne.

While Qatar is also a member of the Islamic anti-terror coalition, there are no Doha officials at the summit amid a diplomatic crisis between the Arab state with some of its neighbors, primarily Saudi Arabia, which broke off ties with the country this June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs.

Return to 'Moderate Islam' - The summit takes place in the wake of an announcement made by the Saudi crown prince in October: "We will return to the former state or affairs, to moderate Islam, which is open to the world, and all other religions. We will not wait for 30 years, we will swiftly deal a blow to extremist ideologies."

While Saudi Arabia's legal system is based on Sharia law, outlining, particularly, harsh restrictions for representatives of other religions, the situation has been changing lately after Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman announced Riyadh's Vision 2030 in 2016, with the document including 80 projects, aimed at developing public service sectors, among others, and a number of women's rights initiatives.

Earlier this year, in a benchmark decision, Saudi King Salman signed a royal decree allowing women to drive for the first time in the history of the kingdom, in a move that was later followed by a number of similar measures. In particular, Saudi Arabia has been boosting women's rights by allowing them to visit stadiums, as well as introducing a draft law criminalizing sexual harassment.

Why Saudi Public Relations Are So Disastrous

_https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2017/11/27/why-saudi-public-relations-so-disastrous.html

What a disastrous past week it’s been for Saudi Arabia’s international public relations. It’s hard to imagine how it could possibly become more ignominious or cringe making for the House of Saud.

But of course, how could it be otherwise? When the oil-rich kingdom is run by a father-and-son clique, cosseted by venal super-wealth, and ruled by patronage, pampered by cowering flunkies. In addition, obsessed with an obscurantist Wahhabi sectarian hatred, and to cap it all, indulged by an ignorant American president who himself shares dynastic family ambitions.

Last week’s roll call of PR disasters included the Syrian peace process getting underway in earnest, in spite of Saudi efforts to derail. Secondly, Lebanon appears to have stabilized politically with the return of its Prime Minister Saad Hariri, again in spite of Saudi attempts to sabotage the government in Beirut. And thirdly, most shamefully, the shocking images of emaciated children in Yemen have shown the world the sickening reality of the Saudi-led blockade on that war-stricken country.

Let’s start with the tale of two summits. While Russian President Vladimir Putin was last week hosting his Syrian, Iranian and Turkish counterparts in the Black Sea city of Sochi in a major diplomatic boost for a peaceful end to the Syrian war, at the same time the Saudi rulers were convening something lackluster and frankly, irrelevant, by comparison.

The Saudis held a summit in Riyadh for the so-called Syrian “opposition” comprising the discredited political talking heads of sundry terror groups that have ravaged Syria for the past nearly seven years. Disgracefully, the UN envoy Staffan de Mistura was present in a vain bid to lend some ersatz credibility to the terrorist apologists.

Putin, and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined political forces to push for a comprehensive peace settlement in Syria “determined by the Syrian people alone without external interference”. Whereas at the Saudi conference of has-been Syrian opposition figures, who have been living a charmed life in exile in Saudi Arabia, there were the tired-old, futile calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to quit as leader.

With the Syrian War near over and with Assad’s state forces dominant over the foreign-backed insurgents, no-one can take the demand for Assad to stand down as serious. It’s a pipe-dream that the Saudis still keep puffing on. Not even Washington and its NATO allies bother to make this demand seriously any more.

In a nutshell, the Saudi rulers are seen to be left holding the putrid remnants of their defeated regime-change intrigue in Syria.

Moving on to the debacle over Lebanon. Again, Saudi machinations were seen here to have turned pear-shaped. After nearly two weeks of trying to arm-twist Lebanese premier Saad Hariri to resign and thereby collapse the coalition government in Beirut with Shia group Hezbollah, Hariri returned last week to his country.

In the meantime, Lebanon has rallied across sectarian lines to unite against Saudi interference – the exact opposite of what the Saudi rulers were agitating for. The whole Saudi-inspired attempt to sabotage Lebanese politics and even incite a sectarian war in the country has ended up only strengthening the country and in particular elevating Hezbollah as a defender of the nation’s sovereignty.

The Saudi paymaster had wanted Sunni politician Saad Hariri to resign as prime minister. His resignation was broadcast on Saudi television on November 4 after Hariri had been summoned to Riyadh and where he inexplicably stayed for the next two weeks. According to the Saudi-inspired script, Hariri said his life was in danger from an assassination plot by Hezbollah and its Shia ally Iran. Hezbollah and Iran scoffed at that claim as ridiculous. Lebanese President Michel Aoun, from the Christian constituency, also dismissed Hariri’s sensational claims.

Last week when Hariri returned to Lebanon, he abruptly reversed his resignation decision, saying now that he would remain in the prime minister’s post. The bizarre images of Hariri looking relaxed at a military parade in Beirut marking Lebanon’s independence day last Wednesday were a stupendous rebuttal of Saudi-orchestrated fear-mongering that this was a man whose life was purportedly under threat.

The Saudi reckless attempts at destabilizing Lebanon not only spectacularly backfired. Their interference in the sovereign affairs of Lebanon has earned the Saudis the scorn of Lebanese and Arab people across the entire region.

As if those PR cock-ups weren’t bad enough, then the world was shocked by images out of Yemen showing skeletal children starving to death from the Saudi blockade on the country. Also, caught on the hook of Saudi barbarity were the US and Britain which have been supplying the Saudi regime with weapons and logistics in its nearly three-year war on the poorest nation of the Arab region.

The Saudis imposed a total sea, air and land blockade on Yemen on November 6 following a ballistic missile attack near the Saudi capital by Houthi rebels from Yemeni territory. The Houthis say they are taking the war to Saudi Arabia because of the latter’s aerial bombing campaign which has targeted civilians. For the Saudis to respond by imposing collective punishment through a blockade on vital aid entering into Yemen is a gross violation of humanitarian law – a war crime.

Nearly two weeks of this total blockade provoked the UN and other international aid agencies to issue dire warnings that millions of Yemenis are facing starvation. So bad is the international image of the Saudis that the US State Department was motivated to urge its client regime to relent on the suffering it was inflicting. At the end of last week, the Saudi rulers claimed that they were lifting the blockade on Yemen’s airports and sea ports. The UN and aid agencies still said the dubious Saudi lifting of blockade would not alleviate the suffering.

How could any country preside over such a week of horrible public relations? What is it about the Saudi rulers that make them so incorrigibly incompetent, so barbaric and so self-defeating?

Several factors combine to make the Saudi rulers a perfect shit-storm.

The House of Saud is a family-run crony dynasty. That’s not new. But over the past year or so, the present rulers have consolidated absolute power to a father-and-son clique, headed by ailing King Salman (82) and the precocious 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. These scions of intoxicating hyper-wealth live in an ivory tower within an ivory tower.

The Saudi system of governance never had accountability except within its own arcane crony inner-circle. Now it has even less accountability. It’s therefore not hard to imagine how the Saudi rulers are prone to making ever-more foolish foreign policy calculations. The war on Yemen was “masterminded” by the ambitious, insecure Crown Prince trying to prove his mettle, when he probably never had any competence to begin with. The guy probably reads intricate regional politics through the prism of one of his puerile computer games.

Secondly, the Saudi rulers, present and past, are guided by an obsessive sectarian Wahhabi hatred towards Shia Islam. All policy decisions are made out of an irrational abhorrence towards Shia Iran, and any ally of Iran, from Hezbollah to Syria. The reasons for this obsessive hatred are rooted in an obscurantist religious belief that Shia Islam is “heretical”. That antipathy is also fueled by an insecure sense of envy and nemesis that Iran’s relatively progressive politics are more legitimate and appealing to the masses in the Middle East than the feudalist monarchy of the Saudis. In any case, to construct foreign policy relations on the basis of a Medieval-like worldview is inevitably problematic, to say the least, in the 21st Century.

A third reason why the Saudis are so incorrigibly inept is because the rulers are indulged by American and European governments and the Western media. Admittedly, some Western media outlets have belatedly given some coverage to the horror inflicted on Yemen.

Nevertheless, the media coverage is still shamefully muted considering the scale of suffering and crimes perpetrated. We are talking about a genocide unfolding in Yemen imposed by the Saudi rulers with the support of their American and British patrons. Yet in spite of this utter barbarity, Western media remain relatively mute. Contrast the Western media reporting on Yemen with the hysterical coverage they were giving to the Syrian city of Aleppo last year when the Syrian army and Russian forces were moving in to liberate that city from a siege by foreign-backed militants.

Western indulgence of the Saudis – in the form of low-key hypocritical media coverage – emboldens these despots to embark on their reckless and ruinous schemes.

None is more to blame for Western indulgence than the British and American governments who have plied the Saudi regime with billions of dollars-worth of warplanes and bombs over the past three years in the war on Yemen. Despite the evidence of war crimes against civilians, Washington and London maintain the despicable, risible fiction that all is ethical and legal.

Topping the Western indulgence of the Saudi despots is US President Donald Trump and his businessman son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is his unelected “top aide” on Middle Eastern affairs. Every recent PR disaster by the Saudis has been encouraged and approved by Trump who seems to run the White House as if it were a family business dynasty. Both Trump and Kushner are regarded as having very limited knowledge about history and geopolitics. Dumb and Dumber, in short.

Trump’s dispatch of 36-year-old gormless Kushner to delve into Middle East affairs and to pander to the whims of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is certainly a major factor in why the House of Saud keeps making foreign policy like operating a wrecking ball.

When House of Trump pairs up with House of Saud, no wonder then that it’s a super-sized PR fiasco.

Senior Saudi Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, once seen as a leading contender to the throne, was freed after reaching an “acceptable settlement agreement” with authorities paying more than $1 billion, a Saudi official said on Wednesday.

Saudi prince freed in $1bn settlement agreement
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171129-saudi-prince-freed-in-1-bln-settlement-agreement/

Miteb, who was head of the elite National Guard, was among dozens of royal family members, ministers and current and former senior officials who were rounded up in a graft inquiry at least partly aimed at strengthening the power of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The official, who is involved in the anti-corruption campaign, said Miteb was released on Tuesday after reaching “an acceptable settlement agreement”.

“The amount of the settlement was not disclosed but it is believed to be more than one billion US dollar equivalent,” the official told Reuters.

“It is understood that the settlement included admitting corruption involving known cases,” the official said.

Officials from Miteb’s office could not immediately be reached for a comment.

Royal family members and acquaintances of Miteb had earlier posted messages on social media suggesting that the prince was at his home in Riyadh, but did not say how his release had come about.

Saudi Arabia Releases Senior Prince, Once Contender to the Throne, for $1 Bln
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201711291059524963-saudi-arabia-prince-miteb-release/

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Lebanese President Michel Aoun met with Saad Hariri shortly after he returned to Lebanon following a long absence. As a result of the meeting, it was announced that President Aung has not accepted the resignation of Hariri, since he promised to reconsider the decision to leave his post.

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Crisis in Lebanon to End Soon, Hariri to Stay Prime Minister, Says President
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201711291059539626-lebanon-crisis-president/

Lebanon will soon see an end to its crisis and its prime minister, Saad Hariri, will remain in office, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Wednesday.

Lebanon has always been a calm and secure country, it is known how to govern it. The crisis will end next week," Aoun told La Stampa newspaper in an interview.

There is "a broad agreement" among all Lebanese political forces regarding Hariri’s decision to stay in office, the Lebanese president added.

Most of those detained in a sweeping anti-corruption purge of the Saudi elite struck monetary settlements in exchange for their freedom, the attorney general said, a month after they were locked up in a 5-star hotel.

Most Detained in Saudi Purge Agree to Cash Settlements
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960915000303

Dozens of high-profile figures including princes, ministers and tycoons are being held in Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel, now a makeshift luxury prison, in the biggest sweep of the kingdom's elite in its recent history, Naharnet reported.

Some 320 people were called in for questioning and 159 people are currently being detained, many of whom have agreed to a "settlement", or handing over allegedly ill-gotten gains to the Saudi state treasury, attorney general Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said.

"The necessary arrangements are being finalized to conclude such agreements," Mojeb said in a statement.

The attorney general has previously said he estimates at least $100 billion has been lost in embezzlement or corruption over several decades.

His latest statement comes after Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, the former National Guard chief once seen as a contender to the throne, was released last week following a settlement reportedly exceeding $1 billion.

Some analysts saw Prince Miteb's removal as an attempt by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also Saudi defense minister, to consolidate his control over the security services.

But Saudi authorities insist the purge was meant solely to target endemic corruption as the kingdom seeks to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

The attorney general said the bank accounts of 376 people have been frozen, all of whom are detained or linked to corruption allegations.

Saudi forces also grounded private jets at airports, possibly to prevent high-profile figures from leaving the country, an aviation source told AFP.

The purge has triggered uncertainty among businesses that could lead to capital flight or derail reforms, experts say, at a time when the kingdom is seeking to attract badly needed investments to offset a protracted oil slump.

Other high-profile targets of the crackdown include billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, dubbed the Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia. The government has not commented on his current status.

The crackdown has exposed the kingdom's once-untouchable elite to rare public scrutiny, Saudis on social media have quipped that the Ritz-Carlton was not the worst place to be trapped.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri formally revoked his resignation on Tuesday following a consensus deal with rival parties, after he had put his resignation on hold at President Michel Aoun’s request to allow for more consultations on the issue.

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Lebanese Prime Minister Revokes Resignation After Returning from Riyadh
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960914001473

Today's cabinet meeting, the first held since the crisis began, endorsed a statement calling on rival Lebanese groups to distance themselves from regional conflicts and the internal affairs of other Arab countries.

Driving licenses to boost empowerment of Saudi women.

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SR11.6 million spent by Saudi women to obtain driving licenses in three countries
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1204511/saudi-arabia

Saudi daily Al-Watan, according to its sources, said that the number of driving licenses obtained by Saudi women from the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan has reached 7,550 licenses with a total cost of SR11.627 million ($3.1 million) — or SR1,540 for each license.

The women obtained their licenses after attending training courses for 22 hours, as well as passing compulsory tests.

Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) in Riyadh organized the first forum on women’s driving, with female members of the Shoura Council, to discuss the importance of driving for women. The forum will be followed by workshops at the university to educate female students and raise their awareness about driving.

The decision to allow women to drive in the Kingdom will come into effect in June 2018.

The spokesman for (IMSIU), Ahmed Al-Rakban, told Al-Watan: “We appreciate what the university has been doing for women who will start driving next year. An agreement has been signed between the university and the General Department of Traffic in this respect, and the director general of traffic visited the university and discussed the issue with many engineering and safety specialists,” Al-Rakban said.

Al-Rakban also noted that driving schools for women have been established at many universities, and there may be other schools outside universities to enable female students and staff to easily get their driving licenses.

To obtain a driving license in the Kingdom, applicants should:
• Be at least 18 years old for a private license/20 years old for a public license
• Have no drug-related convictions
• Be healthy
• Pass the driving test
• Pay the prescribed fees
• Have legal residence in the Kingdom (for non-Saudis)

A friend of Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince Mohammed bin Salman was the mystery buyer of "Salvator Mundi," a painting of Christ by Leonardo Da Vinci that recently sold for a record $450 million.

Report: MBS's Friend Mystery Buyer of $450mln Da Vinci's Painting of Jesus Christ
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960916000864

The New York Times on Wednesday, citing documents it reviewed, identified the buyer as Saudi Arabia's Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, whose country's wahabism ideology apparently forbids the official worship of Christ or any other religion except Islam.

The painting is now heading to the Louvre Abu Dhabi, which opened to much hype last month, it was announced Wednesday.

"Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi is coming to #LouvreAbuDhabi," the museum said on Twitter in Arabic, English and French.

The post displayed an image of the 500-year-old work but did not identify its owner.

Auction house Christie's has also steadfastly declined to identify the buyer, whose purchase in New York for $450.3 million stunned the art world.

"Congratulations," Christie's said in a tweeted reply to the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

Prince Bader has no history as a major art collector but is a friend and associate of Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,
the Times said.

Prince Mohammed, in turn, has been called an admirer of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

The stunning amount paid by a Saudi royal for a painting that some believe is not a genuine Da Vinci, like reports of Mohammed bin Salman's profilgacy on yachts and similar luxury items, casts in sharp doubt Riyadh's claims of cracking down on extravagence and corruption.

The French weekly le Journal du Dimanche earlier reported that two investment firms were behind the painting's purchase as part of a financial arrangement involving several museums.

The newspaper said that the work will be lent or resold to museums, largely in the Middle East and Asia.

Prince Bader is listed as a director of Houston-based Energy Holdings International, Inc.

The firm's website describes him as "one of Saudi Arabia's youngest" entrepreneurs, present in sectors including real estate, telecommunications and recycling.

The sale more than doubled the previous record of $179.4 million paid for Pablo Picasso's "The Women of Algiers (Version O)" in 2015, also in New York.

"Salvator Mundi," which means "Savior of the World," went on public display in 2011 in a dramatic unveiling at The National Gallery in London, where the work was declared to be the first newly discovered Da Vinci painting in a century.

It is one of fewer than 20 paintings generally accepted as being from the Renaissance master's own hand, according to Christie's.

It had sold for a mere 45 British pounds in 1958, when the painting was thought to have been a copy, and was lost until it resurfaced at a regional auction in 2005.

Its latest sale was initiated by Russian tycoon Dmitry Rybolovlev, the boss of football club AS Monaco.

He had bought the painting in 2013 for $127.5 million although he later accused a Swiss art dealer of overcharging him.

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is the true buyer of the Leonardo Da Vinci painting that sold last month for a record $450 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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MBS Identified as Buyer of $450 mn Da Vinci: WSJ
http://english.almanar.com.lb/401861

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has undertaken an anti-corruption campaign, bought the painting using a distant relative as a “proxy,”
the newspaper said Thursday, citing a source in the US government intelligence community and a Saudi art-world figure familiar with the purchase. It didn’t identify either person.

The crown prince, known by his initials MBS, used Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud to handle the acquisition, the Journal said. But Prince Mohammed is identified as the painting’s buyer in US intelligence reports, the newspaper said.

The New York Times on Wednesday identified Prince Bader as the acquirer, citing documents it reviewed.

Christie’s, the auction house that sold the painting, disclosed that the Da Vinci will be going to the Louvre Abu Dhabi. In a Tweet yesterday, the museum confirmed that it’s getting the painting.

Christie’s has declined to comment on the buyer.

Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal’s fortune has taken a dramatic fall since his imprisonment, according to a report by the Financial Times. Billions of dollars is reported to have been “wiped off” Saudi Arabia’s most famous investor following his arrest under last month’s anti-corruption purge authorised by the Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman.

Billions ‘wiped off’ Al-Waleed’s fortune following his arrest Wed. December 13, 2017
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171213-billions-wiped-off-al-waleeds-fortune-following-his-arrest/

According to the FT, the Saudi tycoon and his main investment firm, Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) has been losing billions due to uncertainty surrounding Bin Talal’s release. Citing Forbes the FT reported that KHC has lost nearly a fifth of its value since Prince Bin Talal’s detention, falling to $8.5bn and hitting the tycoon’s net wealth by $2 billion to about $16 billion.

In an attempt to dampen concerns over the future of KHC, the chief executive of Bin Talal’s investment firm, Talal Al Maiman said that more than $12.5 billion is held by the management globally and the company “enjoys a solid financial position underpinned by a prudent and conservative funding plan”.

But the FT cited bankers who described KHC’s office in Riyadh as being “a black hole of information”. The FT revealed that even those who have worked with the billionaire or his investment team for years know little of his fate or what the impact on his company might be.

Local and international lenders are said to be alarmed by the confusion surrounding the prince’s arrest, which has put on hold $1 billion in loans to finance KHC’s acquisition of a 16 per cent stake in Saudi Fransi Bank from Crédit Agricole.

“One must assume that he will be deal making for his future,” said one Saudi banker. “But in a broader sense, he is done now.”

Bin Talal is the most prominent amongst those held against their will in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. Saudi officials are seeking to appropriate billions of dollars from captured princes and businessman in exchange for their release. According to some estimates the crackdown may see the government seize up to $800 billion in cash, though a more realistic target is said to be at least $100 billion, which is the equivalent of the national debt.

It’s reported that Bin Talal intends to fight the allegations in court rather than agree to a settlement. He is thought to have even hired lawyers, according to two people who spoke to the FT.

Activists and scholars have criticized Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, for purchasing Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi at a record $450 million last month.

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Saudi Crown Prince slammed for purchase of ‘un-Islamic’ painting
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171211-saudi-crown-prince-slammed-purchase-of-un-islamic-painting/

The critics argued that the sale process and price, which is believed to be three times higher than the anticipated value, come at an awkward time as the Kingdom, led by the prince himself, launched a mass anti-corruption campaign against hundreds of princes, former lawmarkers and businessmen.

Algerian human rights activist and former diplomat, Mohamed Larbi Zitout, wrote on Twitter: “How much money does one have to have to pay this much for a painting and where did he get it from?”

“What is the Islamic ruling on such a deal according to the clerics of the two Holy Mosques?” he added in reference to Saudi clerics.

Some reports accused the Saudi Crown Prince of using the auction to launder money, while others criticised the purchase of a painting which depicts a prophet, in contravention of the teachings of Islam.

On Friday, the Saudi embassy in Washington issued a statement denying media report that the Crown Prince was the painting’s ultimate buyer.

The embassy said in its statement said that Prince Bader has been a supporter of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and that on 8 November, at the Louvre’s opening ceremony, the Department of Culture and Tourism approached the prince and asked him to act as an “intermediary purchaser”.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been revealed as the buyer of a French chateau that became the world's most expensive property when it sold for $300 million in 2015.

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Behind Purchase of $300mln French Palace
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960926000498

The owner of the palace - which features a wine cellar, home theatre and moat filled with koi carp - was kept hidden at the time behind a series of shell companies based in France and Luxembourg, Daily Mail reported.

But an investigation by the New York Times has found that the companies are all owned by Eight Investment Company, a Saudi firm managed by the head of the prince's personal foundation.

Advisers to the Saudi royal family confirmed to the Times that the palace ultimately belongs to Salman.

The prince was also behind the recent purchase of Leonardo Da Vinci's Salvator Mundi which became the most expensive artwork ever sold when it swapped hands for $450 million earlier this month.

At the time Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, another lesser-known Saudi prince, was named as the buyer of the painting.

But those close to the sale and American intelligence services say he was actually acting on behalf of Salman.

Eight Investment Company was also used to buy the prince's spectacular $400 million superyacht Pegasus VIII from a Russian vodka tycoon in 2015.

The company recently purchased another 620-acre French property which is now being refurbished and fitted with a hunting lodge. It is not clear if this property belongs to Salman, since the firm manages wealth for several prominent Saudi royals.

Salman was revealed as the estate's buyer at a time when he is cracking down on what he says is corruption among the country's elite.

Jordanian billionaire Sabih al-Masri has been released following his mysterious imprisonment in Saudi Arabia last week, after being caught up in Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's dragnet against leading businessmen.

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Jordanian Businessman Released After Being Detained in Saudi Arabia
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960926001610

Masri - one of Jordan's best-known businessmen - was detained by Saudi authorities as he was travelling back to Amman on Tuesday, New Arab reported.

The Jordanian-Palestinian head of the influential Arab Bank - who also holds Saudi citizenship - was on his way to Riyadh airport when he received a phone call telling him to wait where he was before being detained.

The detention occurred amid an ongoing massive anti-corruption campaign in Saudi Arabia led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the push which is widely regarded to be an effort to strengthen his power. However, no details on the charges against any of the detainees or about any settlement talks with them have been disclosed yet. In November, the kingdom's authorities announced that over 200 people have been arrested for questioning in its anti-corruption drive.

"All is well and am happy (to be released) and I was given all respect by everyone here," he said, adding that he would be returning to Jordan after finishing business meetings this week.

He had been warned by associates not to travel to Saudi Arabia following a purge led by Saudi Arabia Crown Prince.

Riyadh has not commented on Masri's detention, but a source announced that "no official charges have been filed against" Masri.

The billionaire - from one of Palestine's biggest families - owns some of Jordan's biggest businesses and richest land in the country.

Masri has close ties with King Abdullah of Jordan, who was warned against participating in a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Turkey, as East Jerusalem was recognized by the OIC as the capital of Palestine days ago.

Sources declared that he might have been detained to pressure Jordan's King Abdullah II not to attend a Muslim summit in Istanbul, which was set up for leaders to agree a response to the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

There have been rumours in Amman that the king's decision to stand with the Palestinian Authority on the issue has put Jordan on a collision course with traditional Persian Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

A Saudi author and journalist disclosed the number of princes who have been detained among hundreds of billionaires at Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh.

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Author Reveals Number of Detained Saudi Princes
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960926000560

The Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper quoted Jamal Khashoqchi as saying that 250 to 300 businesspersons are detained in Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh which is called the 'golden prison', adding that some 20 are the Saudi princes.

"As Saudi Arabia has a corrupt prince for every corrupted businessperson, then where are the remaining corrupt princes," he asked.

Reports said last month that Riyadh seems to have found the way to curb the budget deficit caused by lower oil prices. Saudi officials are offering the arrested royals a deal, pay up to 70 percent of your wealth and go free.

The Saudi government could appropriate hundreds of billions of dollars from the arrested to refill depleted state reserves.

The arrested include Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, businessman Waleed al-Ibrahim, the founder of the Middle East Broadcasting Center, which owns the Saudi satellite television channel Al Arabiya, and Bakr bin Laden, chairman of the Saudi Binladin construction firm.

The billionaires are being detained at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh.

“They are making settlements with most of those in the Ritz,” FT’s source said. “Cough up the cash, and you will go home.”

Nearly 50 days after the Saudi authorities arrested a number of businessmen and princes, as part of an anti-corruption campaign, the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh Hotel is still at the disposal of these detainees.

Saudi luxury Ritz-Carlton anti-corruption ‘prison’ hotel will cost $53 million
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171220-saudi-luxury-ritz-carlton-anti-corruption-prison-hotel-will-cost-53-million/

At the time hotel announced the cancellation of hotel reservations and apologized to many guests after being evacuated without a prior warning.

According to online booking websites, including Trivago, Booking, etc., the hotel has been booked for a month, until the beginning of December. However, when The New Arab tried to book a room in the hotel through these websites, they found it to be booked up until the 1st of March 2018.

The Saudi authorities are therefore obliged to pay more than 492 room reservations, at a rate that is up to $494 per night, though the rates increase up to $7000 for the Royal Suites.

Thus, the costs incurred by the Saudi authorities amount to approximately $800 per day. This means that the cost of 487 rooms reaches up to $389,000 per day, plus 5 suites at a cost of $35,000 dollars, which means the hotel’s full booking reaches up to approximately $425,000 dollars per day.

Based on that, the cost of accommodation for a period of approximately 4 months (from 4th November to 1st March) reaches $ 51 million, not including food.

If the meals’ costs in the hotel’s four restaurants are included, the cost reaches up to about $20,000 a day, for the price of one meal at Al-Orjowan restaurant is about $86.

As for Azoura restaurant, the price of one meal reaches about $80 dollars, while in the most prominent Chinese restaurant in the world, Hong, the cost of one dish exceeds 300 Saudi riyals and the prices of some dishes may exceed 600 Saudi riyals (about $160).

If we want to provide food to about 200 detainees, at an average cost of only $100 per detainee, the cost reaches $ 20,000 a day, which means that the costs can reach $ 600,000 per month, and within four months, they reach $ 2.4 million.

According to these figures, the monthly costs the Saudi authorities pay, reach $13.350 million. This means that within four months, the Saudi authorities will have to pay about $53 million, a number which perhaps raises many questions about the methods implemented to combat corruption.

It is noteworthy that this hotel is one of the most important hotels in the city of Riyadh, especially as it is located in one of the most luxurious areas, west of Riyadh, in Al Hada area, Makkah direct Road, and it is strategically located near the State institutions.

Saudi renowned billionaire, Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal is reported to have rejected a settlement with the Saudi authorities in return for his freedom.

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Report: Saudi billionaire Al-Waleed Bin Talal refuses settlement with Crown Prince
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20171218-report-saudi-billionaire-al-waleed-bin-talal-refuses-settlement-with-crown-prince/

The Financial Times reported two sources briefed on the investigations as saying that the prince intends to fight the allegations against him in court.
He even hired lawyers.

The Saudi prince was arrested last month along with more than 200 people including members of the royal family and senior officials in the largest anti-corruption purge in the Kingdom’s history.

However, many princes are reported to have reached a financial settlement in exchange for their freedom.

Saudi Arabia wants to secure at least $100 billion in the purge to finance its budget deficit.

Al-Waleed’s domestic and foreign investments have been severely hit with his detention approaches its second month.

The paper said Al-Waleed has helped many financial and banking institutions over the years, most notably the US-bank Citigroup. “Now it is Prince Al-Waleed who is engulfed in a crisis following his detention last month as part of Riyadh’s anti-corruption crackdown. But, in his hour of need, nobody has publicly come to his aid as billions of dollars have been wiped off his fortune and the investment firm he founded, Kingdom Holding Company, has been plunged into uncertainty,” the paper added.

However, the paper reported a banker close to Al-Waleed, 62 as saying that the prince might resort to striking a deal with the Saudi authorities to secure his freedom, which would mean that he has to relinquish some of his fortune.

Saudi Arabian authorities are reportedly pressuring a billionaire prince whom they have detained as part of a purge to pay up a whopping USD six billion to secure his release, according to a report.

Report: Saudi Arabia Pressing Billionaire Prince to Fork out $6 Billion
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961002000458

Citing people familiar with the issue, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, a billionaire nephew of late King Abdullah, is now being pressured to pay USD six billion to be released.

His fortune is estimated by Forbes to stand at USD 18.7 billion, which would make him the Middle East’s richest person. His Kingdom Holding, a Riyadh-based investment holding company, owns stakes in hotels like The Four Seasons, Fairmont and Raffles, as well as companies such as News Corp., Disney, 21st Century Fox, Citigroup, GM, Twitter, and Apple.

Dozens of princes, ministers, and former ministers were detained last month on the orders of Saudi Arabia’s so-called Anti-Corruption Committee, which is headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The detained individuals are facing corruption allegations but are widely believed to have been victims of a political purge.

The crackdown in Saudi Arabia is widely believed to be aimed at consolidating the crown prince’s grip on power; but it is also speculated that the kingdom is seeking to rejuvenate its economy — hit hard by the fall in oil prices and a costly and protracted war on Yemen — by extorting money from the detainees.

Many of the detainees have been released so far after forking out exorbitant amounts reaching as high as USD one billion.

The money reportedly requested from Waleed bin Talal would bite deeply into his global business empire. The prince is trying to persuade the government to instead accept a large share in his company while still leaving him in charge, the Journal’s sources said.

“Keeping [the empire] under his control, that’s his battle,” one person said. “He wants a proper investigation. It is expected that al-Waleed will give MBS a hard time,” another said, referring to the crown prince by his initials.

The sources also suggested that Waleed bin Talal was not giving up without a fight.

Salah Al-Hejailan, a lawyer who maintains contact with al-Waleed’s family, meanwhile, said that “there are no formal accusations” against the prince, and that the prosecutor would only open a judicial case against him if no understanding is reached.

Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, who has attempted to portray the whole process as an “anti-corruption fight,” has meanwhile been splurging money abroad himself.

Earlier in the month, it was reported that bin Salman had used a “proxy” to buy Leonardo da Vinci’s painting the Salvator Mundi, which sold for a record $450 million at auction, and a yacht for $500 million.

Last Saturday, an investigation by The New York Times named Salman as the owner of the Chateau Louis XIV, a mansion outside Paris, which had been sold to him for more than USD 300 million back in 2015.

Congratulations pour in on third anniversary of King Salman’s rule Saturday 23 December 2017
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1213241/saudi-arabia

The third anniversary of King Salman’s accession to the throne was marked by hope and optimism as congratulations poured in from senior Saudi officials and foreign dignitaries.

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah congratulated the Saudi monarch and noted the Kingdom’s achievements under his leadership.

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa wished his Saudi counterpart good health and happiness, as well as further progress and prosperity for the government and people of Saudi Arabia. King Hamad stressed the strong ties between the two countries and their peoples.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas praised Saudi achievements under King Salman, and expressed appreciation for his role in the Arab and Muslim worlds. (Article continues.)

Riyadh released more detainees held at the Ritz hotel during a recent alleged anti-corruption drive against businessmen and royals, amid a report that authorities have demanded at least $6 billion for Prince al-Waleed bin Talal's freedom.

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Saudi Arabia Releases Former Minister, Businessman Detained in Crackdown for Cash Payment
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961003001378

Riyadh freed a former minister and a former head of a major company after they struck monetary settlements in exchange for their freedom, pro-government daily Okaz reported on Sunday.

The freed men are former Finance Minister Ibrahim Abdulaziz al-Assaf and former chief executive of Saudi Telecom Saud al-Daweesh, a member of Daweesh's tribe told The New Arab.

"The deals struck between Daweesh, Assaf and the royal court include handing over assets held abroad, properties in the United Arab Emirates, private jets, yachts and jewelery," the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.

Riyadh has also demanded at least $6 billion from Prince al-Waleed bin Talal to free him from detention at the Ritz, according to a report.

The money reportedly requested from Waleed bin Talal would bite deeply into his global business empire. The prince is trying to persuade the government to instead accept a large share in his company while still leaving him in charge.

A report exposed how certain Arab states have continued to shower British politicians with luxury gifts in an attempt to curry favor and buy their support.

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Report: Arab Rulers Buy Lavish Gifts to Curry Favor with British Politicians
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961003001298

Those states include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Jordan, and Oman, the Middle East Eye (MEE) news portal reported on Saturday, citing newly released UK government data.

Prime Minister Theresa May, whom Saudi Arabia has conferred with the Order of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, has received several gifts from the kingdom, including an ornament, a clock, and a medal, the report said.

Saudi Arabia “has splashed out on 20 luxuries Christmas hampers for Conservative Party ministers since 2010,” the MEE further reported.

The United Arab Emirates has also been providing British ministers with various gifts.

The emirates have offered luxury Christmas hampers, rugs, and a $2,600 designer briefcase to Tobias Ellwood, Britain’s defense minister. In December 2012, the country's government bought former British foreign secretary William Hague a rug and Alistair Burt, the UK’s Middle East minister, both a hamper and an IPad.

In July, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry gave Burt a Rolex watch worth nearly $8,000.

Incumbent Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was also once given a $400 box of Wagyu meat by the King Abdullah II of Jordan. Another Arab ruler gave the British minister tins of Caspian caviar, worth more than $1,000 in total, when they met the same month.

Since 2015, Britain has been providing state-of-the-art weaponry and logistical support to Saudi bombardment of Yemen, which also enlists the Emirati military. More than 15,300 have died since the bombing started.

The MEE went on to cite rights campaigners as blasting the trend of the Arab showering of the politicians with gifts as a means of influence peddling by governments, some of whom have incurred huge international outcry over the human rights abuses at home and abroad.

"These gifts aren't being given out of any sense of generosity. They are being given to buy friends and increase influence," Andrew Smith of Campaign against Arms Trade (CAAT) stressed.

"If repressive regimes and brutal dictatorships are giving gifts to MPs, then it is time for those politicians to think about the messages they're sending out, and to stop offering such intimate political support to human rights abusers," Smith added.

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, director of the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said "Many of these regimes have consistently repressed democracy and violated human rights. These lavish gifts are a transparent ploy to influence the UK's foreign policy so that it favors the regimes rather than the people of the [Persian] Gulf."

Rumors that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has hired mercenaries to torture recalcitrant royals and officials sleeping in the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh have been circulating since shortly after last month’s “corruption crackdown” naked cash grab.

Saudi General Reportedly Tortured To Death After Refusing To Fork Over His Fortune Dec 24, 2017
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-23/saudi-royal-reportedly-tortured-death-after-refusing-fork-over-his-fortune

Now, Middle East Eye reports that one of MbS’s guests has reportedly died under torture rather than fork over his money and assets to his domineering relative. He was reportedly beaten and tortured so bad his family members had difficulty recognizing his body.

Major general Ali Alqahtani, who was detained in early November as part of an alleged anti-corruption drive, had been working in the royal guard forces.

He was the manager of the private office of Prince Turki Bin Abdullah, the son of former king Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, according to the newspaper.

Alqahtani died on 12 December after being tortured with electric shocks, and his family struggled to recognise him after receiving his body, according to sources, the newspaper reported.

Click to expand...

We know this might come as a shock to some – Tom Friedman and the New York Times said MbS was such a nice guy! But that doesn’t change the fact that he is effectively extorting members of his own family to help plug a gaping hole in the Saudi government’s budget, willfully employing violence when necessary in a fashion that would make Tony Soprano proud. Case in point: Yesterday, we noted that the Saudi government had reportedly made Prince Alwaleed bin Talal – one of the world’s richest men - an offer he cannot refuse: Either fork over $6 billion to the Treasury, or spend the rest of his life being strung upside down and tortured by foreign mercenaries.

Back when oil was at $100 and above, the Saudi economy was firing on all cylinders, and nobody even dreamed that the crown jewel of Saudi Arabia - Aramaco - would be on the IPO block. But official data released earlier this week showed the Saudi economy contracted this year for the first time in eight years. It’s estimated to have shrunk by 4% as thousands of state-subsidized jobs have disappeared.

But despite the contraction, the Saudis have announced a radically expansionary budget for 2018. The government is forecasting spending at 978 billion riyals ($260.8 billion), up 10% on 2017 estimates, as the royal family’s proxy war against Iran in Yemen enters its third year.

Even though oil prices are seemingly stuck at $50 a barrel, the Saudi government knows that its survival depends in part on placating the country’s citizens, who’ve grown accustomed to the trappings of a lavish welfare state.

This goes back to one of the reasons MbS has been able to get away with his crackdown: millions of regular Saudis have lauded MbS’s treatment of his fellow royals, seeing it as their long-overdue comeuppance.

Given that political opposition to the Crown Prince – who is expected to soon succeed his ailing father as king.

A leading US daily revealed new details of Saudi Arabia's degrading treatment of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri during a recent trip to Riyadh, where the Lebanese leader was coerced into reading a prepared resignation speech under conditions similar to that of a captive.

New Details Emerge of Saudi Arabia's Treatment of Saad Hariri
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961004000818

While some details had already emerged of the circumstances of Hariri's three-week stay in Saudi Arabia, more appeared in a Sunday report by The New York Times, which used information from "a dozen Western, Lebanese and regional officials and associates of Mr. Hariri" to draw a better picture of what happened to him in Riyadh.

"That may have been the last straw for the Saudis," the report said, adding that "Within hours, Mr. Hariri received a message from the Saudi king — come now — ahead of a meeting that had been scheduled days later."

A well-connected Lebanese analyst was cited as saying that Hariri was also invited to spend a day in the desert with the prince.

"But when he (Hariri) landed in Riyadh, Saudi officials took Mr. Hariri to his house and told him to wait — not for the king, but for the prince. He waited, from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. No one came," it disclosed.

The next morning, he was "summoned at 8:30 a.m. to the Saudi royal offices — unseemly early, by the kingdom’s standards."

Thinking that he would go camping with the prince, Hariri wore jeans and a T-shirt to the Saudi royal offices.

"But instead he was stripped of his cellphones, separated from all but one of his usual cluster of bodyguards, and shoved and insulted by Saudi security officers," the report said, adding that "Then came the ultimate indignity: He was handed a prewritten resignation speech and forced to read it on Saudi television."

Information on what happened between Hariri's arrival in Riyadh and the resignation is missing. The Times cited Lebanese officials as describing that interval as the "black box."

"They (the Lebanese officials) said they were reluctant to press Mr. Hariri for details. When asked, one of them said, Mr. Hariri just looked down at the table and said it was worse than they knew," according to the report.

Hariri, who runs a private business in Saudi Arabia, was "manhanded" by Saudi officials and was also threatened that he would face "corruption charges," according to one official.

He read the resignation speech he had been given "from a room an official said was down the hall from the prince’s office."

"Lebanese officials," the report said, "began making the rounds to puzzled Western diplomats with an unusual message: We have reason to believe our prime minister has been detained."

Hariri "was eventually placed with Saudi guards in a guesthouse on his own property, forbidden to see his wife and children."

Some Western diplomats were allowed to meet with the Lebanese prime minister there, as, according to the report, "There were two Saudi guards in the room [during those meetings]... and when the diplomats asked if the guards could leave, Mr. Hariri said no, they could stay."

The drama was seen as a Saudi attempt to disrupt the political balance in Lebanon to the disadvantage of Hezbollah, which shared power both in the parliament and Hariri's government with other Lebanese factions.

The Times report pointed to how Mohammed bin Salman was looking to use Hariri as a "pawn" against Iran, "as if he were an employee [of Riyadh] and not a sovereign leader."

But instead, the Lebanese people of all political inclinations soon came out with massive support for their prime minister, demanding that he safely return and continue work. Hezbollah's Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah also voiced support for Hariri.

The report said Western officials were wondering what Saudi Arabia "hoped to accomplish with all this intrigue."

"Several do not rule out the possibility that they aimed to foment internal unrest in Lebanon, or even war," it added.

The report said Saudi [Persian] Gulf Affairs Minister Thaber al-Sabhan, who is believed to have been a key figure in the Hariri scheme, "got a withering reception" on a visit later to Washington, where US officials "demanded that Mr. Sabhan explain why Riyadh was destabilizing Lebanon."

"Now, Mr. Hariri remains in office with new popularity, and Hezbollah is stronger than before," the Times added.

Hariri abruptly declared his resignation from a then-unknown location in Saudi Arabia and from Saudi-owned television on November 4, accusing Iran and Hezbollah of interfering in the region and signaling that that was his reason to quit.

But Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who suspected early on that Hariri had resigned of his free will, refused to accept his resignation and demanded his return from Saudi Arabia first. Lebanese intelligence sources soon concluded that Hariri was under restrictions in Riyadh.

That drama ended when Hariri returned to Lebanon on November 22 and rescinded his resignation on December 5.

Hariri, in the meantime, has been continuing work with renewed support and stronger unity among Lebanese people and political groups.

More detainees will be released in the coming days after reaching deals with the government, according to local media. Those who continue to deny the charges against them will soon face trial.

Saudi Arabia Releases Over 20 Corruption Detainees After Agreeing to Settlements
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201712261060333045-saudi-arabia-corruption-probe/

Saudi authorities have released 23 of the 200 officials and other powerful individuals detained during an anti-corruption campaign. The move came after the detainees agreed to deals with the government, local media reported.

The detainees, who had been held in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, included a serving minister and a former head of a major company, according to the newspaper Okaz. The report, however, did not disclose names.

According to the newspaper, the move appeared to be the first large-scale release since members of the royal family, including billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, businessmen and government and military officials were detained in November as the result of an anti-corruption crackdown led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Okaz said the detainees in the case have been told to hand over assets and cash in exchange for their freedom.

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Saudi government is demanding at least $6 billion from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, whose fortune is estimated at $18.7 billion, to free him from detention.

According to Okaz, more detainees would be released in the coming days, and trial proceedings would begin soon for those who continue to deny the corruption charges against them.

The well-known and wealthy Saudi Prince, al-Waleed bin al-Talal, was hospitalized after sleep deprivation due to the long hours of interrogation, Arab daily al-Rai al-Youm reported on Tuesday.

Saudi Prince Walid Al-Talal Transferred to Hospital Tue Dec 26, 2017
http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13961005001405

The Arabic-language daily reported that al-Talal who owns shares in giant firms from Twitter and Apple to the Four Seasons Hotel and London's Savoy, was interrogated for long hours by the Saudi forces loyal to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and was sent to hospital because of his poor health conditions after he went under much pressure that included being deprived from sleep for long hours.

The report added that al-Talal was then returned to Ritz hotel, where he has been kept along with other princes since November, after a brief hospital treatment.

It added that the billionaire has remained adamant to any kind of cooperation with interrogators and has asked for a public trial and presence of witnesses, including business partners.