Jeddah/Riyadh: Saudi King Abdullah appointed a new spy chief, giving the job to the former deputy defence minister days after sacking him from that post, SPA state news agency reported Tuesday.
Prince Khaled bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz had been unexpectedly removed from his post on Saturday at the request of his boss the defence minister, after only 45 days on the job.
There was no reason for his sacking but early Tuesday the SPA said that Prince Khaled had been appointed “head of the General Intelligence with a minister rank” by royal decree.
The announcement comes after jihadists spearheading an offensive in Iraq have declared on Sunday an “Islamic caliphate”, ordering Muslims around the world to pledge allegiance to their chief.
Saudi Arabia has watched with increasing alarm in recent weeks as the jihadists, who count Saudi citizens in their number, have seized swathes of territory.
Last week King Abdullah slammed the jihadists, who are also active in Syria, and instructed authorities to take “necessary measures” to defend his oil-rich kingdom amid fears the Iraq offensive could spill over into Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh’s policy in Syria is to back rebel groups it sees as moderate in an effort to bring down Al Assad, a close ally of its main regional enemy Iran, whose tactics in bombing urban centres have been described by Saudi officials as “genocide”.
But as young Saudis have gone to Syria to join the fight and as militant factions among the rebels have gained in strength, it has also grown concerned about eventual radicalisation among its own citizens prompting domestic attacks.
Prince Khaled will take over from Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the kingdom’s former pointman on the Syrian conflict who headed the intelligence service for two years until April.
It was unclear from the royal decree issued late on Monday whether Prince Khaled will have a similar brief on Syria.
A separate royal decree reported by SPA named Prince Bandar as an “advisor to the king and his special envoy”.
Prince Bandar, a former ambassador to the United States, is widely regarded as among the most influential powerbrokers in the Middle East and was appointed intelligence chief in 2012.
He was removed from his post in April after months abroad for medical treatment.
Diplomats said in February that Prince Bandar was sidelined in Saudi efforts to support rebels fighting Al Assad.
They said his management of the Syrian file had triggered American criticism and the matter was discussed during US officials’ visits to the kingdom.
The prince himself reproached Washington for its decision not to intervene militarily in Syria, and for preventing its allies from providing rebels with much-needed weapons, according to diplomats.
He retains his post as the secretary-general of the National Security Council, state news agency SPA reported.
It was not clear if his new appointment means he will return to playing an active role in Saudi security and foreign policy.
