In a recent interview with the BBC, former Saudi official Saad al-Jabri accused Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of falsifying his father’s signature on the royal decree that initiated the kingdom’s enduring conflict against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The Saudi government, labeling al-Jabri a discredited former official, has yet to respond to the allegations put forth without corroborating proof. Al-Jabri, a onetime Saudi intelligence officer now residing in Canada, has been entangled in a prolonged feud with the kingdom, claiming his children were detained as part of an effort to coerce his return to Saudi Arabia.
At present, Crown Prince Mohammed has assumed a prominent role in Saudi leadership, frequently representing his elderly father, King Salman. His leadership style, notably at the commencement of the Yemen war in 2015, has been characterized by a crackdown on dissent and challenges to his authority. Al-Jabri asserted in the BBC interview that a trustworthy source within the Saudi Interior Ministry disclosed to him that Prince Mohammed signed the war decree instead of his father, alleging the king’s declining mental acuity at the time.
The armed conflict in Yemen, initially envisioned by Prince Mohammed as a swift operation, has lingered for nearly a decade, resulting in a death toll exceeding 150,000 individuals and sparking a dire humanitarian crisis that claimed tens of thousands more lives. Al-Jabri previously served under former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who was succeeded by Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017 amid allegations of Nayef’s confinement. Al-Jabri has pursued legal action against Prince Mohammed in the United States, contending that the crown prince orchestrated his assassination following his departure from Saudi Arabia.
Allegations made by al-Jabri in his BBC interview included claims of Prince Mohammed contemplating the assassination of former King Abdullah using a poisonous ring obtained from Russia. These assertions align with comments al-Jabri made in a 2021 CBS News interview. Expressing concern for his safety, al-Jabri expressed his belief that Prince Mohammed still harbors intentions to harm him, as evidenced by the continued imprisonment of his children in Saudi Arabia.
