Controversial brother of Saudi Arabia's King Salman dies
Controversial brother of Saudi Arabia's King Salman dies
A brother of Saudi Arabia's ruler King Salman died early on Saturday, the kingdom's news agency said, after a colourful life and forming part of the 'Sudairi Seven'.
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The Prince was the son of the founder of Saudi Arabia [AFP]
A brother of Saudi Arabia's king died early on Saturday, a statement from the palace published on the official news agency Saudi Press Agency said.
Prince Turki II bin Abdulaziz was born in 1934 and was a son of the kingdom's founder, King Abdul Aziz bin Saud. He was a member of a formidable bloc of brothers known as the Sudairi Seven, after their mother Hassa bin Ahmed al-Sudairi.
The bloc also included King Fahd and princes Sultan and Nayef - all now dead - as well as Saudi Arabia's King Salman.
Prince Turki was deputy minister of defence from 1968 to 1978 before being forced to resign after refusing to divorce his second wife, Hind al-Fassi.
The prince self-imposed exile saw him move to Cairo with his wife and only returned to Saudi Arabia in 2004, after his spouse died in Cairo.
Just months earlier, Turki's son, Prince Sultan, accused Saudi authorities of kidnapping him in Geneva after he called for reforms in the kingdom.
In an interview with the BBC, Prince Sultan alleged he was lured to a meeting in Switzerland and was dragged away by five masked men who transported him back to Riyadh where he remained under house arrest.
Prince Sultan filed an official complaint against his cousin Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, as well as the Saudi minister of Islamic affairs, Saleh al-Sheikh who he accused for the abduction.
King Salman is to receive condolences for three days from Saturday evening, the palace said.
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