Fahd Bin Turki; the Former Saudi Commander who is Threatened by MBS’s Random Death Penalties!

A few years ago, Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz was leading the Saudi army in the midst of coalition operations inside Yemeni lands, as well as leading the Saudi ground forces, as a warlord who King Salman bin Abdulaziz saw as worthing his trust in these difficult tasks at a critical time.

On June 28, 2021, Western reports revealed that Prince Turki was facing execution under the guillotine of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who was accused of attempting to overthrow the regime of King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, and his son the crown prince.

Since Bin Salman's ascension to the position of Crown Prince on June 21, 2017, he has excluded the strongman and former Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and he has ruled the kingdom alone with an iron fist.

The young prince cannot bear the presence of opponents in his surroundings, which was evident when he launched a fierce campaign against the princes and turned the Ritz-Carlton Hotel into a large prison, in which he was able to politically and economically eliminate his opponents and competitors.

Today, with the possibility of crushing the rest of the princes, headed by Fahd Bin Turki, who is facing the threat of execution, the kingdom has entered a new phase, in which no member of the royal family, no matter how powerful he is, is safe from being killed.

 

Personal Career

Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz belongs to the third generation in the Saudi royal family. He is the grandson of the founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud, from his twenty-first son Turki II, and his mother is Princess Noura bint Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud.

Prince Fahd was born in August 1959 in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom. He completed his education at the US Army Field Artillery School in 1984. After that, he obtained a Masters in International Business Administration from the International University in the United States.

Fahd married Princess Abeer bint Abdullah, daughter of the late former King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who is the president of the Asayel Co-operative Society, which helps families in their production activities. He has four sons, a boy and three daughters. Their only son is Prince Abdulaziz.

According to media reports, Princess Abeer, the daughter of King Abdullah, was in Scotland before the arrest of her husband, Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, and her son at the end of 2020. She is known for controlling billions of dollars in various properties around the world.

In this context, she never returned to her country, especially since all the sons and daughters of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz were arrested after his death, and their wealth was confiscated, in a campaign launched by the Saudi government under the slogan "against corruption."

Military Ranks

Prince Fahd bin Turki's military career began with his joining the ranks of the Saudi Royal Forces in 1983, where he was initially a commander of the Parachute Corps and then an officer in the Special Forces.

Later, he became deputy commander of the ground forces, then commander of joint special operations, including Operation Decisive Storm and Restore Hope, until the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, who was Minister of Defense, with whom Prince Fahd was allied.

According to the official website of the Saudi Ministry of Defense, Prince Fahd was awarded a number of high military decorations, the most important of which are: "United Nations Medal (Somalia's Participation) - French Medal (Legion of Honor) - Kuwait Liberation Medal - Centennial Medal of the Saudi Army - King Faisal Medal - Medal King Fahd of the third degree.

The name of Prince Fahd bin Turki was associated with the grinding war in Yemen, where he oversaw the military operations carried out by the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis.

In February 2018, the Joint Operations Command of the Coalition Forces, after it was promoted by royal order from King Salman bin Abdulaziz to the rank of Lieutenant-General of the Saudi Army.

After that, the media focused on the rise of the emir, especially with regard to his field activities. His photos spread often while inspecting the military operations in Yemen and on the Saudi borders, until there were rumors on several occasions that he had been killed during the operations.

 

Royal Order 

Prince Fahd bin Turki's life turned upside down on September 1, 2020, when King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued a late royal order, ending his services, referring him to retirement and investigation.

The royal order also exempted his son, Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, from the position of Deputy Governor of Al-Jawf region, and also referred him for investigation.

The king's order stated that the dismissal of Prince Fahd and his son was based on what was monitored of suspicious financial transactions in the Ministry of Defense, and the presence of financial corruption in the ministry.

Some of the tweeters and analysts following the Saudi affairs denied that the real motive for the dismissal was the accusation of corruption.

Which was explained by the famous Saudi account "Mujtahid" by saying that the dismissal came due to the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's fear of Prince Fahd's coup.

He stressed: "The arrest of Fahd bin Turki, the commander of the joint forces, is because Ibn Salman interpreted some of his actions as a prelude to a coup against him. This is supported by the arrest of his son, the deputy governor of Al-Jawf with him and a group of senior officers."

He added, "He will not be the last, and new arrests are expected in the ranks of the Al Saud family and the military."

The Washington Institute for Gulf Studies, revealed on June 28, 2021, that “a Saudi military court sentenced to death Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, nephew of King Salman, and the former commander of the Saudi forces in Yemen for high treason."

The institute said that "a relative of the Saudi prince disclosed, on condition of anonymity, that a Saudi military committee had sentenced the former commander of Saudi forces in the Yemen war, Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz, to death for treason and attempted coup to overthrow King Salman and his son." 

The American Institute stated that, "the United States is assisting the Saudi Ministry of Defense in modernizing its structures, including military trials."

If the sentence is carried out, the prince will be the first among the king’s cousins to be killed in a military trial, not through liquidation, during the rule of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.