Mohammed bin Salman

Mohammed bin Salman has been involved in several high-profile controversies throughout his tenure as Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. A 2021 United States intelligence report concluded he approved the 2018 operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. While multiple legal challenges were filed in U.S. courts regarding this incident, including a case brought by Khashoggi’s fiancée and the organization DAWN, the case was dismissed in 2022 after the U.S. Department of Justice determined he qualified for head-of-government immunity. In 2017, he led an anti-corruption purge that resulted in the detention of hundreds of princes, businessmen, and officials at the Ritz-Carlton, during which approximately US$800 billion in assets were seized. Critics have characterized this and his subsequent appointment as Prime Minister as efforts to consolidate power and secure immunity from foreign legal scrutiny. Additionally, he has faced allegations involving the attempted assassination of former intelligence official Saad al-Jabri, hacking accusations from journalist Ghada Oueiss, and reports of orchestrating the physical abuse of royal family members. Foreign policy controversies include his role as the architect of the military intervention in Yemen and involvement in regional diplomatic disputes. Earlier in his life, he was allegedly nicknamed Abu Rasasa, or Father of the Bullet, for reportedly sending a bullet to a judge who ruled against him in a property dispute. Reports also suggest he may have discussed plans to assassinate King Abdullah in 2014 using poison, though these claims have not led to formal charges or convictions.