A military coup to overthrow army officers loyal to King Abdullah was successfully foiled
Riyadh, 2008 Sep 3, PressTV
A Saudi security source has revealed that a military coup to overthrow army officers loyal to King Abdullah was successfully foiled.
The anonymous source told Aafaq that military officers and members of the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) managed to prevent the coup.
The source said National Guard officer Major Ahmed Maiad Zahrani, backed by a Saudi prince, had recruited 150 of his fellow officers to carry out the takeover.
The officers were taken in for questioning and later charged with conspiracy, it added.
The motive behind the planned coup was, apparently, to overthrow the Saudi National Arabian Guard leader, who is loyal to king Abdullah and prevent the selection of another member of the family as crown prince.
Saudi Arabia's current crown prince, the 80-year-old Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, is seriously sick.
King Abdullah has appointed his eldest son Mutaib as deputy commander of the National Guard.
In Saudi Arabia, the Bay'ah Council chooses the crown prince from three candidates named by the king. The council was formed after divisions emerged among the descendents of the former King Abdulaziz.
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