Sultan bin Turki Al Saud (Arabic: سلطان بن تركي الثاني بن عبد العزيز آل سعود; born May 1968) is a member of the Saudi royal family. A critic of the Saudi government, he was kidnapped from Europe and brought to Saudi Arabia in 2016.
| Sultan bin Turki Al Saud | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1968 (age 55–56) Riyadh | ||||
| |||||
| House | Al Saud | ||||
| Father | Turki II bin Abdulaziz Al Saud | ||||
| Mother | Noura bint Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud | ||||
Personal life
editPrince Sultan was born in May 1968.[1] His father is known as "the second" Turki (الثاني ath thānī), because he was the second son born to King Abdulaziz named "Turki".[2] The first Prince Turki was Abdulaziz's first son who died in 1919 due to Spanish flu.[3] Sultan's mother is Noura, the daughter of Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman.[1][4]
Prince Sultan lived in Geneva.[5] He was married to King Abdullah's daughter,[2] Princess Noura who died in 1990 in a car accident[2] near Riyadh airport. He has one son named Mohammed bin Sultan from another marriage.
Kidnappings
editIn 2004, Prince Sultan accused the government of Saudi Arabia of kidnapping him in June 2003 in Switzerland after he spoke out in favour of reform in Saudi Arabia.[5] He was lured to a meeting in Geneva where he was drugged before being flown back to the Kingdom and was kept under house arrest in Riyadh.[6] To finish the mission successfully, a Boeing 747 medical evacuation aircraft was sent especially for this purpose after sedating him. The aircraft arrived at Geneva Airport a few days before the kidnapping operation, and was in a constant state of readiness. Another aircraft was sent to carry the personal effects, papers, files and documents of Prince Sultan, which were later confiscated from the hotel where he had been staying and taken to Riyadh. The aircraft was officially registered in Switzerland as part of the entourage of Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, who was visiting Switzerland at the time.[7]
According to newspaper reports, on 1 February 2016 Prince Sultan was again kidnapped, with his entourage of about 20 people. They were on a flight from Paris whose ostensible destination was Cairo: it was diverted to Riyadh where all were detained. After some days the non-Saudis in the party were released. In August 2017, Prince Sultan was apparently still in Saudi Arabia.[8]
The kidnapping was one of three disappearances of Saudi princes living in Europe that featured in the 2017 BBC News Channel documentary Kidnapped! Saudi Arabia's Missing Princes.[9][10]
His kidnappings were described as one of many disappearances of members of the Saudi Royal family who have criticized the government or called for regime change.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b Sabri Sharaf (2001). The House of Saud in Commerce: A Study of Royal Entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia. Delhi: I. S. Publications. p. 124. ISBN 978-81-901254-0-6.
- ^ a b c Bradley Hope; Justin Scheck (25 August 2020). ""This Plane is not Going to Land in Cairo": Saudi Prince Sultan Boarded a Flight in Paris. Then, He Disappeared". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Simon Henderson (1994). "After King Fahd" (PDF). Washington Institute. Archived from the original (Policy Paper) on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Death on the Nile: A royal murder mystery?". Datarabia. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ a b Hugh Miles (17 July 2015). "Senior Saudi prince accuses cousin over alleged drugging and abduction". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ^ Roger Hardy (21 January 2004). "Saudis 'kidnap reformist prince'". BBC News. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
- ^ "Saudi opposition site details Prince Sultan's kidnap in June". BBC Monitoring International Reports. 2 January 2004. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
- ^ Hugh Miles, "Saudi prince returned from Europe against his will, say staff" (29 March 2016) and "Saudi Arabia: new details of dissident princes' abductions emerge" (15 August 2017) in The Guardian
- ^ Reporter: Reda al Mawy; Producer: Hugh Miles; Director: Mike Wakely (16 September 2017). "Kidnapped! Saudi Arabia's Missing Princes". BBC News Channel. BBC. BBC. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- ^ Reda El Mawy (17 August 2017). "Saudi Arabia's missing princes [updated October 2018]". BBC News. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
- ^ Reda al Mawy (26 September 2017). "Khashoggi Is Not Alone (Kidnapped: The Lost Princes: Saudi Arabia)". Journeyman Pictures.