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Agence France-Presse

Saudi Arabia has roundly rejected reports that a prominent prince had been killed in a sweeping anti-corruption purge of the kingdom’s elite.
Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, a son of the late king Fahd, was rumoured to have been killed in custody or while resisting arrest amid the crackdown at the weekend.
The hashtag “death of Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd” has since featured on social media, fuelling fevered speculation online.
“There is no truth whatsoever to rumours circulating in media concerning Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd,” an information ministry spokesman said in a statement.
“Prince Abdulaziz is alive and well,” he added.
The prince could not be independently reached for comment.
Dozens of high-profile figures including princes, ministers as well as billionaire tycoon Al-Waleed bin Talal were arrested or sacked in the weekend crackdown – just after an anti-graft commission headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was established.
It was the biggest purge of the kingdom’s elite in modern Saudi history.
Separately, on Sunday another prince, Mansour bin Moqren, was reported killed in a helicopter crash near the kingdom’s southern border with Yemen. Authorities did not reveal the cause of the crash.
With the purge, which analysts describe as a bold but risky power play, Prince Mohammed has centralised power to a degree that is unprecedented in recent Saudi history.


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Middle East

Saudi Arabia rejects reports of prince’s death in graft purge

Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, a son of the late king Fahd, was rumoured to have been killed in custody or while resisting arrest amid a crackdown against corruption in Saudi Arabia. File photo: AFP

Saudi Arabia arrests 11 princes and sacks head of elite National Guard in ‘unprecedented’ purge

The dramatic purge occurred as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman steps up his reform drive for a post-oil era

FILE PHOTO - Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal attends a news conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia August 30, 2009. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed/File Photo

FILE PHOTO - Saudi Arabian Prince Miteb bin Abdullah at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France June 18, 2014. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer/File Photo

The crackdown was reported immediately after a new anti-corruption commission, headed by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was established by royal decree late Saturday. File photo: Reuters

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World

Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, a son of the late king Fahd, was rumoured to have been killed in custody


Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia rejects reports of prince’s death in graft purge

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, a son of the late king Fahd, was rumoured to have been killed in custody

Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, a son of the late king Fahd, was rumoured to have been killed in custody