Readers have talked about it for a couple of days but this confirms it. The House of Saud is on the brink!

Thanks to AO for the link!

via Gulf Business.

Saudi authorities detained a billionaire global investor and the head of the National Guard as part of an anti-corruption purge that consolidates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s hold on power.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns investment firm Kingdom Holding, was among 11 princes, four ministers and tens of former ministers detained, two senior Saudi officials told Reuters on Sunday.

A top security official, Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, was detained and replaced as minister of the powerful National Guard by Prince Khaled bin Ayyaf. This consolidates Prince Mohammed’s bin Salman’s control of security institutions which had previously been headed by separate branches of the ruling family.

Story here. 

Why am I saying my readers were right and I'm becoming alarmed?  Because this guy was in charge of the Saudi National Guard.  Unlike the US and other Western nations, the National Guard in Saudi Arabia is home to the most advanced and well equipped troops in that nation.

If you want to point to an "elite" or a "Praetorian Guard" then you point to the Saudi National Guard.

For this guy to put their commander under arrest means that their is a serious power play going on.  Additionally you have to think that this guy has his own resources and own group of loyalist that are still in the Guard.

That means trouble.

Between the pressures of Yemen, Iran, the huge loss in Syria, Turkey coming to the aid of a GCC country they were trying to bully and an unpredictable US president/ineffectual SecState you have the Saudis in a pressure cooker of their own making.

This might not happen fast but it will happen.  I'm calling it.  The House of Saud falls in less than 5 years.  Turmoil in the Middle East will probably continue long after I'm dead and buried.