from ZeroHedge:

A huge development out of Saudi Arabia late Friday via the Wall Street Journal which reports Saudi authorities have detained two prominent royals close to the throne — namely, the ageing King Salman’s brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz al Saud (often referred to as MBN).

“The Saudi royal court accused the two men of plotting a coup to unseat the king and crown prince, according to people familiar with the situation,” WSJ reports. One of MBN’s brothers, Nawaf, was also reported to be arrested.

Black-clad and masked commandos raided the homes of the two men Friday morning on charges of treason, in what’s being widely interpreted as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MbS) broader “purge” of potential powerful rivals and centers of influence, which first began in 2017 when scores of princes and top officials were locked up in the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton.

Perhaps entirely to be expected, Saudi authorities gave no details or evidence of the alleged coup attempt even though a “treason” conviction means they face execution, as the WSJ notes further:

The two men who potentially had once been in line for the throne are now under threat of lifetime imprisonment or execution, said people familiar with the situation. The details of the alleged coup attempt couldn’t be learned.

Crucially both Prince Ahmed and MBN previously spent time as minister of the interior, a very powerful post with direct oversight over troops and Saudi intelligence.

Bin Nayef, it must be remembered, had initially been in line to be king before being stripped of his powers as Interior Minister in 2017 and King Salman declaring his son MbS heir to the throne.

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