New York: Saudi officials arrested three members of the royal family early on Friday for allegedly plotting to oust King Salman and the his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to reports, guards from the royal court detained one of the king's brothers, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al Saud, and one of his nephews, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and royal cousin Nawaf bin Nayef.
There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities on the report.
Mohammed bin Nayef, a once powerful figure as head of Saudi counter terrorism efforts, had been crown prince until 2017, when King Salman took away the title and put his son first in line for the throne of the longtime US ally.
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The crown prince, who is in charge of day-to-day governance in the kingdom, has been praised in the West for implementing social reforms, but he also has drawn intense criticism for a tough crackdown on Saudis perceived as critics of his policies.
He also came under criticism after the 2018 killing of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Critics accused him of being linked to the slaying, but he denied it. A Saudi court sentenced five people to death for the killing, but did not hold any high-ranking officials responsible.
In a similar incident in 2017, dozens of Saudi royal figures, ministers and businessmen were confined to the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh after the Crown Prince ordered their arrests.
(With inputs from agencies)
