Prince Mohammed bin Nayef - he’s the nephew of the new King of Saudi Arabia and now he’s been named as next in line to the Saudi throne, AFP has reported, after Crown Prince Muqrin.
Prince Mohammed, also Saudi Arabia’s interior minister, has a colorful past. He’s waged war against Al-Qaeda and narrowly escaped death after getting caught up in a suicide bombing.
His appointment as second-in line was announced just hours after Saudi Arabia’s late King Abdullah’s death was announced early Friday morning and his half-brother King Salman was proclaimed the new king.
There had been growing speculation over the question of future succession and the announcement today seemed to put that at bay. He is the first grandson of Saudi Arabia’s first monarch, King Abdul Aziz to join the line of succession.
The Saudi royal took over from his late father in 2012 to become head of the Interior Ministry. He will for now remain in that post, the royal decree said.
The prince is well-known for his close links to the US and hatred towards Islamic extremists. It’s been reported that he’s a fan of Hollywood action films and a gun lover, who built a private shooting range at his palace. But besides this, it remains to be seen what he is really like!
In August 2009 an attacker managed to get past the prince's security team and detonated an explosive device. Yet, the prince suffered only superficial injuries. Yemen’s Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said it was responsible for the attack.
Despite a dice with death, Prince Mohammed also led a program to rehabilitate Al-Qaida members who had either surrendered or were had been.
The program itself has drawn both praise and criticism: praise for its goals but criticism as many of the program’s attendees reentered a life of extremism.
Prince Mohammad will be an interesting character to watch in coming years. He’ll garner even more interest now he’s been named as a future king!
