A past top counterterrorism specialist and long-time adviser to the former crown prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Nayef has recently made some shocking revelations. He warned that Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), the incumbent heir to the Saudi throne, previously bragged that he could murder King Abdullah with the use of a Russian-made poison ring. Dr. Saad al-Jabri, the Canada-exiled and former second in command intelligence official of the Saudi Kingdom made the explosive claim on the Sunday night 60 Minutes programme, which was broadcast by the US television network CBS News. [1]
Al-Jabri, a former major general, minister of state, and confidante to deposed crown prince Muhammad bin Nayef made waves after sharing this damaging information with the popular primetime news programme. More specifically, he revealed that the authoritarian and hot-headed MBS stated the following in a 2014 exchange with then Saudi interior minister Muhammad bin Nayef:
“I want to assassinate King Abdullah. I get a poison ring from Russia. It’s enough for me just to shake hand(s) with him and he will be done.” [1]
The former intelligence official al-Jabri has been living in exile in Canada since June 2017, after the ousting of Muhammad bin Nayef as crown prince. In his interview, al-Jabri further added that Saudi intelligence officials took the MBS threat seriously and that the House of Saud dealt with the matter internally.
In what could easily form part of a sensationalist plot plucked straight out of an action movie, al-Jabri also said in the interview that he knows the location of two taped copies of the alleged 2014 meeting with MBS and Muhammad bin Nayef. Whether there is truth in what the former intelligence chief has said is another matter, given that he did not disclose any explicit evidence during the discussion with CBS correspondent Scott Pelley.
In 2015, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia died at the age of 90, after suffering from multiple stretches of ill health in his later years. The late king had ruled the oil-rich Gulf state since 2005, when he officially assumed power after the death of his half-brother and eldest son of the Sudairi Seven, Fahd bin Abdulaziz. Upon Abdullah’s death, another half-brother assumed the throne, namely Salman bin Abdulaziz. In the following years, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman have detained and removed from succession various family members, with the ejections even dramatically including Salman’s full brother Ahmed bin Abdulaziz and Ahmed’s son Nayef. [2]
The Saudi embassy in Washington D.C. has responded to the damning allegations. It released a comprehensive statement, in which it accused Saad Al-Jabri of being “a discredited former government official with a long history of fabricating and creating distractions to hide the financial crimes he committed”. [3]
The embassy’s statement further sought to undermine al-Jabri’s claims by portraying the former counterterrorism expert as a thief who stole “billions of dollars, to furnish a lavish life-style for himself and his family”. [3]
“He has not denied his crimes; in fact he implies that stealing was acceptable at the time. But it wasn’t acceptable nor legal then, and it isn’t now. The reforms led by the Crown Prince have put an end to this type of gross corruption. Today, the nation’s revenues are used to fund unprecedented economic and social development, invest in technology, contribute to the diversification of the economy, the empowerment of youth and women, and the building of a nation in which tolerance, moderation, innovation and entrepreneurship prevail – the antithesis of what Aljabri was seeking when he committed his crimes.” [3]
Undoubtedly, the Saudi authorities have exerted their best efforts to disparage al-Jabri and to discredit his allegations by engaging in what seems to be no less than character assassination. In fact, it is no secret that two of al-Jabri’s eight children, namely his son Omar al-Jabri, 23, and daughter Sarah al-Jabri, 21, were captured in March last year. Until this very day, they are imprisoned without any formal charges having been filed against them. Media reports have further suggested that a son-in-law was “rendered” from a third country and forcibly returned to Saudi Arabia. On arrival, he was allegedly held and tortured, likely due to his close relationship to Saad al-Jabri. [4]
Al-Jabri warned in his CBS interview:
“I am here to sound the alarm about a psychopath killer in the Middle East with infinite resources who poses a threat to his people, to the Americans, and to the planet.”
It was also widely reported in 2018 that MBS had targeted Saad al-Jabri in Canada. This came shortly after the gruesome abduction and butchery of dissident Saudi journalist and author Jamal Khashoggi. Through what has been termed the ‘Tiger Squad’, Mohammad bin Salman allegedly pursued the assassination of al-Jabri and in effect “chased” him to the North American country due to rising tensions and in order to shore up power. [5] Such claims have been elaborately mentioned in a legal complaint first filed with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 2018. The complaint suggests that the so-called Tiger Squad had been dispatched by MBS to Canada with the express aim of killing al-Jabri. The former official now lives under police protection, and remains in fear of further prospective attempts against his life. [6] [7]
Source: www.islam21c.com
Notes:
[2] https://menarights.org/en/caseprofile/members-saudi-royal-family-arbitrarily-detained-january-2018
[3] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mohammed-bin-salman-alleged-plot-saad-aljabri-60-minutes-2021-10-24/
I’m not sure if Mohammad bin Salman is a psychopath. Scheming and plotting in royal families was common throughout the centuries and across cultures. It’s the price that people pay for having a system in which leadership is passed on due to bloodlines rather than merit.
Western nations are very protective of their democracy and you can understand why when the alternative that they have known is the scenario mentioned in the article above. As Muslims, we also hope for something better. Our beloved prophet Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave us the following prophecy, and seeing our current pitiful state as an ummah, why should anyone blame us for hoping that it is fulfilled in our life time?
He (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “There will be prophethood for as long as Allah wills it to be, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be khilafah on the prophetic method and it will be for as long as Allah wills, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be biting kingship for as long as Allah Wills, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be oppressive kingship for as long as Allah wills, then he will remove it when He wills, and then there will be khilafah upon the prophetic method” and then he remained silent.
I first came across this hadith accidentally, as a young teenager, and as my older siblings had moved away from home, I rushed to an older cousin’s house, to tell him about it. “Islam is going to come back,” I told him excitedly and in an unsophisticated way. He disagreed with me and to that I replied, “It’s true. I read it in a book.”
There are Muslims who think that to wish for this change is outdated. They can’t imagine how such a system could be implemented in the 21st century, and come up with all sorts of alternatives. However, when western nations talk about democracy, they are proud of its roots that go back thousands of years to ancient Greece. In comparison, the system of khilafah on the prophetic method is newer. Yet, Muslims feel ashamed of suggesting it as a solution to humanity’s problems, even though the men who implemented it were nurtured by none other than Allah and His beloved messenger. Many who do propose it as a solution merely pay lip-service to it as, practically, they make this ummah despair of its implementation taking place any time soon.
(Also, I’m sorry I made a mistake in my comment in the article below. Surah An-Nasr was not revealed during the 10th year of hijrah, but what it mentioned of people entering the religion of Allah in crowds took place in the 9th/10th years after hijrah, after the conquest of Makkah. In fact, the 9th year after hijrah was known as the year of delegations as delegations of Arab tribes came to pledge allegiance to our beloved prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Islamic State, after Quraysh were defeated.
https://www.islam21c.com/opinion/9-11-from-teen-to-deen/. I just realised it recently after listening to a tafsir on it).