BREAKING NEWS: Saudi King Salman steps down

I just stumbled on this at the end of the day. I have confirmed this.

BREAKING NEWS -- URGENT -- REPORT SAUDI KING HAS STEPPED-DOWN!

Hal Turner,
7 November, 2017



Arabic sky news and Al-Arabya just tweeted that the King of Saudi Arabia has stepped down and handed his son control of the throne!

5 minutes later the tweet was removed and replaced with a tweet saying that an announcement about the situation will soon be made . . .

This is a stunning development in a week of unimaginable developments.  Specifically, an Apparent Coup Attempt, and the round-up and arrest of several Royal Princes, family members, several current and former Ministers, and the removal from power of several high-ranking military commanders! (Story Here)

Check back for updates . . . .

 

UPDATE 10:55 PM EDT --

In mid-June, King Salman abd al Aziz al Saud fired his crown prince, Muhammad bin Nayef (MBN), and elevated his favorite son, Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS), to be the heir apparent.

No king had ever fired a sitting crown prince before, but Salman did it twice in just two years.

In fact, Saudi Arabia has had six crown princes in the last six years: two died in office (Sultan and Nayef), one became King (Salman), two were appointed and then fired (Muqrin and MBN), and now MBS in the heir apparent.

It’s a study in transition, disorder, and discontinuity—not stability and order. What was once a very predictable royal family line of succession has become unpredictable.

 

FAMILY AFFAIR

The line of succession in the kingdom has moved laterally among the sons of the founder of the modern kingdom, Ibn Saud, for over 60 years. Salman is the end of the line of kings who could trace their legitimacy to Ibn Saud directly. MBS is going to have to establish his own legitimacy at a time when the kingdom faces an acute economic challenge from low oil prices and the region is in enormous turmoil. The Saudi royal family are survivors, but they are in very stormy weather.

Back in June, the question arose: Will the king abdicate the throne and turn power over to the son he clearly trusts? Serious newspapers raised the possibility. King Salman has already given his son unprecedented power. His nickname is Mr. Everything because he has been given control of the military, the economy (including the oil industry), and even control of the entertainment business. He has been the de facto foreign minister for the last two years, conducting all the important foreign policy issues and visits, including setting up President Donald Trump’s historic visit to the kingdom. 

King Salman is 81 and suffers from pre-dementia. The state of his health is a closely guarded secret. He has been very busy this year, with a month-long trip to Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, China, and Japan, plus attending the Arab summit in Jordan, as well as hosting Trump and 50 Muslim leaders. So he, apparently, is capable of being in power for some time to come. His brothers have often lived into their 90s.