Saudi’s dark history of abducting members of the royal family

Several reports say there is evidence that in recent years the Saudi royal family has abducted dissident princes from other countries.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud (in the middle) is pictured with Khalid al Faisal (on his left). Faisal, the governor of Mecca province, is one of the rare royal family members to check the unlimited power the crown prince currently enjoys. Both King Salman and Faisal attend the inauguration of the Haramain Railway connecting Mecca and Medina with the Red Sea, in Jeddah, on September 25, 2018.
Reuters

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud (in the middle) is pictured with Khalid al Faisal (on his left). Faisal, the governor of Mecca province, is one of the rare royal family members to check the unlimited power the crown prince currently enjoys. Both King Salman and Faisal attend the inauguration of the Haramain Railway connecting Mecca and Medina with the Red Sea, in Jeddah, on September 25, 2018.

The oil-rich monarchy, Saudi Arabia, has been through several internal tussles within the royal family over the years.

According to the BBC,  there is evidence that missing members of Saudi Arabia's royal family have been kidnapped and abducted from other countries and brought back to Riyadh. 

Historically, Saudi officials have denied all accusations about the fate of missing princes and others they have been accused of abducting. 

Prince Sultan bin Turki

One such missing dissident prince is Prince Sultan bin Turki, who was beaten by masked men in the hotel where he met with Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd for breakfast.

Prince Fahd asked him to return to Saudi Arabia, however, Prince Turki refused. 

Saudi kidnappers are alleged to have taken Prince Turki, unconscious, to Geneva airport and then to Riyadh. 

Other

Saudi dynasty family tree according to data taken by The Economist and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Eddie Ferreira, Prince Turki’s communications officer, said, "The Saudi ambassador to Switzerland came in with the general manager of the hotel and quite simply just told everybody to vacate the penthouse and get out." 

Ferreira added, “The prince was in Riyadh, our services were no longer required, and we could leave.”

Riyadh denies all accusations, saying Prince Turki voluntarily came back to Riyadh to resolve disputes. 

Prince Turki bin Bandar 

Prince Turki bin Bandar, a former high-ranking police officer, is another prince alleged to have been abducted by the Saudi royal family. 

Bandar fled to Paris after family inheritance disputes in 2012 and from there, started posting videos on YouTube calling for reforms in Riyadh.

Getty Images

Saudi Arabian Prince Turki bin Bandar (L) shakes hands with Pakistan's Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz (R) prior to a meeting in the Finance Ministry in Islamabad, on September 15, 2003.

In 2015, according to Bandar's friend and activist Wael al Khalaf, the Saudis kidnapped and imprisoned him. His whereabouts are still unconfirmed, however, a Moroccan newspaper reported that Moroccan officials had detained him.

It is reported that Morocco deported the prince to Riyadh at the request of the Saudi monarchy. 

Before his disappearance, Prince Bandar gave a letter to his friend Wael, which read: “Dear Wael, these statements are not to be shared unless I am kidnapped or assassinated. I know I will be kidnapped, or they will assassinate me. I also know how they abuse my rights and those of the Saudi people."

Prince Saud bin Saif 

Around the same time of Prince Turki's disappearance, Saud bin Saif, another Saudi prince, vanished.

In 2014, Prince Saif took to Twitter to demand the prosecution of the people who supported the overthrow of Egypt's President Mohammed Morsi.

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A picture of Saudi Prince Saud bin Saif.

An anonymous Saudi prince published two letters demanding a coup against King Salman bin Abdulaziz. 

Prince Saif openly supported these letters, tweeting, “I call for the nation to turn the content of these letters into popular pressure."

After his tweet, his fate seemed to have followed that of the other missing princes. 

Prince Khaled bin Farhan

Prince Khaled bin Farhan is another dissident prince who the monarchy forced to return to Riyadh.

He has been in exile in Germany since 2013.

Other

Prince Khalid bin Farhan, an exiled member of the Saudi royal family, is currently living in Germany.

Prince Farhan says, “There were four of our family members in Europe. We criticised the family and its rule in Saudi Arabia. Three of us were kidnapped. I'm the only one left."

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