Saudi Arabia: Former intelligence official accuses Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of plotting to assassinate King Abdullah

A former Saudi intelligence official has leveled serious allegations against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Former intelligence chief Saad al-Jafri has accused Crown Prince Salman of poisoning King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

In an interview with CBS, Jafri told CBS in 2014 that he wanted to do this “to clarify his father’s path”.

At the time, tensions were running high in the ruling family of Saudi Arabia.

At the same time, the Saudi government has described Jafri as a former official with a fabricated history and a loss of credibility.

In an interview with CBS’s 60 – minute program, Jabari said Salman’s son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (the real power of the country is in his hands) is “a psychopath, a murderer with unlimited power. There is danger. For the people of the country, the Americans and the whole world.”

At a meeting in 2014, he accused Prince Salman of telling his cousin and then-interior minister, Mohammed bin Naib, that he could assassinate King Abdullah.

“The Crown Prince told me to kill King Abdullah. I have received a poison ring from Russia. Even if I shake hands with him, his work will be done,” Jafari said.

“I don’t know if he’s bragging. He said, ‘We took it very seriously.

He said the matter was settled in secret in the royal court. He further added that the video recording of the meeting was secret and that he knew where the two copies of the video were.

King Abdullah died in 2015. He was 90 then. He was succeeded by his half-brother Salman. King Salman proclaimed Mohammed bin Naib the crown prince.

But in 2017, Mohammed bin Salman was announced to replace Mohammed bin Nayef on the throne. Prince Naif was also removed from the post of interior minister. According to reports, he was first placed under house arrest and then remanded in custody last year. The details of the charges against him are not known.

After the ouster of Mohammed bin Nayef, Jafri moved to Canada.

Jafri said a friend of the Middle East intelligence had warned that Mohammed bin Salman was sending a team to kill himself. According to him, this is in October 2018. A few days ago, journalist Jamal Kashoghi was killed by Saudi agents in Turkey.

He charged that the group of six had reached Ottawa but had been deported. Customs officials found that the group had taken away suspicious DNA analysis equipment.

Last year, Jabri filed a lawsuit in U.S. federal court accusing him of attempting to assassinate the Crown Prince.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has denied the allegations. He also denied any involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Kashoki. However, U.S. intelligence agencies estimate that they approved the move.

The BBC has contacted the Saudi government over the allegations.

The Saudi embassy in Washington told CBS, “Jafri is a former officer who has lost his reputation. He has a long history of telling stories. To cover up crimes, they are trying to divert attention.”

Several companies in Saudi Arabia have filed corruption cases against Jafri. A Canadian judge has ordered the confiscation of his assets and said there is “evidence of fraud” against him.

Jafri denies allegations of theft of government funds. He says his former bosses rewarded him generously.

In March 2020, Saudi authorities detained Jabri’s son Umar and daughter Sarah. Human rights groups say this is an attempt to force them to return to Saudi Arabia.

In November, a Saudi court sentenced two siblings to life in prison on charges of attempted escape and money laundering. Both have denied the allegations. He appealed against the sentence but the court upheld the sentence.

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