Saudi King’s Brother Returns Home to Challenge ‘Toxic’ Crown Prince

Senior prince had been living in UK in exile

In what appears to be the start of a challenge to the rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his exiled uncle Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz has reportedly returned to Saudi Arabia from the United Kingdom this week.

Prince Ahmed, the younger brother of King Salman, called his nephew “toxic” in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Saudi sources say he intends to return to challenge the crown prince on that basis.

Reports claim some sort of “understanding” on Prince Ahmed’s return, but don’t know the retails. He apparently had been seeking assurances from his brother the king that he could return without fear for his safety.

Even with such a guarantee, that seems an extremely risky venture, as Khashoggi himself had repeatedly been offered assurances of safe return from exile before his sudden murder and dismemberment by Saudi forces.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.