Second Saudi Prince Confirmed Killed in Crackdown

Following the death of Prince Mansour bin-Muqrin in a helicopter crash near the Yemen border on Sunday, the Saudi royal court has confirmed the death of Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd —killed during a firefight as authorities attempted to arrest him.

According to the Daily Mail, local media in the Persian Gulf are reporting Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, 44, was shot dead by authorities trying to arrest him as part of the anti-corruption sweep, Zero hedge reported.

It is reported that Prince Abdul Aziz was deeply involved in Saudi Oger Ltd, a company which until it ceased operations in the summer of this year, was owned by the Hariri family. Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri was in charge of the company until it ceased operations.

Prince Abdul Aziz’s strange and sudden death which is said to have occurred during an attempted arrest, sheds light on the theory that the clearly forced resignation of former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri had more to do with internal Saudi affairs than the Saudi attempt to bring instability to Lebanon.

The Saudi royal family has now lost two princes in 24 hours.

As Al Jazeera notes, in this Saudi version of ‘Game of Thrones’, the 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, shows that he is willing to throw the entire region into jeopardy to wear the royal gown.

His actions have already all but destroyed the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council; Yemen can no longer be referred to as a functioning state; Egypt is a ticking time bomb; and now Lebanon may erupt.

Prince Abdul Aziz’s death comes as a helicopter carrying Prince Mansour bin-Muqrin and other government officials crashed Sunday in the kingdom’s south, reportedly killing all eight people aboard.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said early Monday that the crash happened in Saudi Arabia’s Asir Province as the official took part in a tour of local projects near Abha, some 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the border with Yemen.

However, Middle East Eye reported that Mansour was trying to flee the country at the time when his helicopter went down. He was a known opponent of Mohammed bin Salman.