Saudi Arabia’s billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal tweeted an unexpected message for the 100 fighter pilots involved in airstrikes against Yemen – each would be awarded a Bentley. The tweet, which was later deleted, sparked controversy.
“I congratulate our wise leaders on the victory of Operation Decisive Storm and the beginning of Operation Restoring Hope,” bin Talal appeared to tweet last week. It followed an announcement of a new phase in the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen.
“To recognize the one hundred participating Saudi pilots I am pleased to present them with 100 Bentley cars,” he said, according to screenshots of the message, RT reported.
But the fighter pilots couldn’t allow themselves to get too excited, because the tweet was later deleted without explanation. Some reports suggest the prince’s account was hacked, though this has not been confirmed.
Twitter was unsurprisingly full of opinions on the announcement, with many reminding of the human costs of the operation in Yemen and disgusted that the loss of lives could be rewarded with luxury cars.
Others mentioned that while bin Talal was offering to pay for 100 Bentleys, he had failed to provide even one emergency vehicle to Yemen amid the fatal airstrikes.
With a fortune valued at nearly $23 billion by Forbes, 60-year-old Bin Talal is the richest member of the Saudi monarchy and is among the richest men in the world. He is a nephew of the late Saudi King Abdullah.
