Saudi Crown Prince has little popularity in royal family, says ex-CIA official

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is not liked by the royal family, but enjoys popularity among the kingdom’s youth, the former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Michael Morell, said yesterday.

Saudi’s youth make up some 70 per cent of the kingdom’s population.

Speaking on CBS’ “60 Minutes” programme, Morrell said that the former Saudi intelligence official, Saad Aljabri had “saved the lives of many Americans” during his work as a Saudi official in the fight against terrorism.

“I am a huge fan of him [Aljabri],” Morrell said, describing Aljabri as “very brilliant and incredibly loyal to his country.”

Responding to whether the United States owes an obligation to Aljabri, Morrell stressed that he and the CIA owed him “a lot.” “Do I feel some obligation to Dr Saad?, yes,” he said.

“The people in the CIA do. Whether the country does or not, I don’t know. It’s a bit of a hard question,” the ex-American official reiterated.

Aljabri had been a security adviser to former Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef before he fled to Canada in 2017. He’d played a prominent role in the fight against terrorism, and was widely respected by American intelligence and counterterrorism officials. His son, Omar, and daughter, Sarah, have been held in detention by MBS in an effort to lure him back to the kingdom.

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