Mohammed Bin Nayef an effective alternative to MBZ, Brookings conclude

Brookings Institute concluded that Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, the former Saudi crown prince, is an effective alternative to Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s current crown prince.

The Brookings Institution for Research called on US President Joe Biden’s administration to pressure Riyadh to release him.

The call came after Riyadh’s release of activist Loujain Al-Hathloul and others.

It also came days after high-ranking sources revealed to Saudi leaks that there is new American pressure on bin Salman to release detained princes and politicians.

The institute said bin Nayef was not detained for a crime he committed, but rather because he was a problem for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

It described bin Salman as “reckless and dangerous,” referring to the White House announcement that there were no plans to hold a call between Biden and the Saudi crown prince.

The Brookings report believes that the Biden administration’s adoption of the bin Nayef case may be “an extraordinary step.”

But according to the report, “it must be an urgent task, given his great contributions to American security, and because his life is in great danger.”

A British parliamentary commission of inquiry said that bin Nayef’s detention constituted a “violation of international law” and part of a campaign launched by bin Salman to consolidate his power.

Lawyers for the former Saudi crown prince warned that their client is the victim of a continuous and coordinated attack from inside Saudi Arabia on social media, threatening his safety.

Bin Nayef is the son of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, the longest-serving interior minister in Saudi Arabia, educated in the United States.

He also trained with the FBI and British police “Scotland Yard”.

Bin Nayef gradually assumed his father’s position as Minister of the Interior, enjoyed good relations with the United States, and was considered the most efficient, especially in the fight against terrorism.

According to the report, which mentioned the former Saudi crown prince saving the lives of dozens, if not hundreds, of Americans and his defeat of Al Qaeda.

Bin Nayef Services

In this regard, Brookings noted that the Saudi Ministry of Interior thwarted a plot by Al Qaeda to attack the United States consulate in Jeddah in 1998.

When US Vice President Al Gore was there, he was preparing to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

Therefore, bin Nayef was close to the US administration during the era of former President Barack Obama and his deputy, Joe Biden.

The former director of the CIA, George Tenet, described him as “his most important partner” in fighting Al Qaeda, and “the smartest and most accomplished of his generation.”

Soft coup

In April 2016, the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz, promoted “bin Nayef” to be the crown prince.

But he was abruptly removed from office in June 2017, and he was replaced by his son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A year ago, bin Nayef was arrested on charges of treason. Since then, he has been held incommunicado, and his life may be in danger, according to human rights organizations.

The book “Blood and Oil” revealed the events inside the royal court on the night of June 20, 2017.

On that day, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef gave up in a “humiliating manner” to his successor, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who knelt before his feet.

The book described the humiliating way in which Muhammad bin Nayef waived his right to govern the Covenant.

He said: He was summoned to the king’s palace and his companions were isolated, and he took their weapons and took him to a room because he would meet King Salman in it.

He added: But the truth is that the path was different on that fateful night.

“While bin Nayef was waiting to meet the king, bin Salman called the Allegiance Commission, which consists of 34 princes, and asked her for its opinion that bin Salman is the crown prince by order of the king, and 31 of them agreed,” he added.

Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz

But Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz was one of the refusers, and bin Nayef was informed and asked to sign a letter of resignation and initially refused any relinquishment of his position.

“King Salman’s entourage and his son, including Turki Al-Sheikh, kept entering him and threatening him sometimes to reveal his secrets, such as drugs and others.”

After a series of pressures and blackmail, bin Nayef accepted to give up with an oral announcement, and then he left at seven in the morning at that scene.

Since March 2020, bin Salman, Prince bin Nayef and Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz have been arrested in mysterious detention conditions.