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Chief of Saudi intelligence replaced

April 18, 2014 at 10:02 am

Saudi Arabia has replaced intelligence chief Prince Bandar Bin Sultan with General Youssef Al-Idrissi, Saudi media reported yesterday.


Citing a royal decree, the Saudi Press Agency said: “Prince Bandar was relieved of his post at his own request and General Youssef Al-Idrissi has been asked to carry out the duties of the head of general intelligence.”

It was not clear whether Prince Bandar would remain in his other posts or not. He is currently the head of the National Security Council.

Prince Bandar, who was the Saudi ambassador to the United States, was appointed intelligence chief in July 2012. He was closely involved in Saudi support for Egypt’s military rulers after they ousted the first freely elected president Mohammed Morsi last year.

Observers close to the Saudi authorities expected Prince Bandar was unhappy that the Syrian and Iranian files were taken off his hands and given to his cousin, Interior Minister Prince Mohamed Bin Nayef.

He has been outside the Kingdom since he was marginalised and did not attend the meeting between the Saudi King and the US President Barack Obama, which took place two weeks ago.

When he was in charge of the Syrian and the Iranian files, he supplied fighters in Syria with money and weapons. Bin Nayef has been restricting these supplies fearing their activities might affect the Kingdom.