2017–2019 Saudi Arabian purge

The allegations include money laundering, bribery, extorting officials, and taking advantage of public office for personal gain. Tiger Squad According to the Middle East Eye, an assassination campaign against critics of the monarchy was carried out in parallel to the overt arrests of the purge, by the Tiger Squad, which was formed in 2017 and , consisted of 50 secret service and military personnel. The group members were recruited from different branches of the Saudi forces, directing several areas of expertise. although it was allegedly shot down as he tried to flee the country from the purge and then made to appear as an accident. Another victim was Suliman Abdul Rahman al-Thuniyan, a Saudi court judge who was murdered by injection of a deadly virus when he visited a hospital for a regular health checkup. This took place after he had opposed bin Salman's 2030 Economic Vision. == List of involved people ==

Those arrested, detained, sanctioned or removed from their posts include, but are not limited to: Royals Detained • Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, billionaire businessman (Released 27 January 2018, according to Agence France-Presse) • Prince Fahd bin Abdullah, former deputy defense minister • Queen Fahda bint Falah, wife of King Salman and mother of Mohammad bin Salman himself. Under house arrest. • Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and former interior minister. Under house arrest. • Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, former head of Saudi Arabian National Guard and son of King Abdullah. He is seen as the most powerful of those arrested. • Prince Turki bin Abdullah, another son of King Abdullah and former governor of Riyadh Province • Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, former head of the Saudi Red Crescent Society and another son of King Abdullah. • Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah, a former governor of Mecca and Najran provinces and another son of King Abdullah • Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer, former advisor at royal court Uncertain status • Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd, youngest son of King Fahd. There were rumors that Abdul Aziz, age 44, was killed while resisting arrest, but the Saudi information ministry released a statement saying that the prince was "alive and well." • Prince Mansour bin Muqrin, deputy governor of Asir and son of former Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz. He was killed in a helicopter crash, though unconfirmed allegations have been made that his helicopter was shot down while he was attempting to flee the country. Sanctioned • Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, former Secretary General of the National Security Council and former head of the General Intelligence Presidency Military officers Detained • Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Sultan, Royal Saudi Navy Commander. • Major General Ali Al Qahtani, Saudi Arabian Army. He died in custody. and half-brother of Osama bin Laden • Khalid Abdullah Almolhem, former head of Saudi Arabian Airlines • Nasser Al Tayyar, businessman, non-executive board member Al Tayyar Travel Group • Saleh Abdullah Kamel, billionaire businessman, owner of Arab Radio and Television Network and founder of the Dallah al Baraka Group • Saoud al-Daweesh, former chief executive of Saudi Telecom Company • Zuhair Fayez, prominent businessman Islamic scholars and media figures Detained • Awad al-Qarni, Islamic scholar, author, and former professor • Ali al-Omari, TV cleric and Chairman of the Mecca Open University • Salman al-Ouda, Islamic scholar and member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars' board of trustees • Ibrahim al-Sakran, Islamic scholar, writer, researcher, lawyer and thinker. Uncertain status • Ahmed al-Amari, Islamic scholar and Dean of the Quran College at the Islamic University of Madinah. Died in custody, however there are unconfirmed allegations he was killed. ==Reactions==

According to Sam Blatteis, Middle East Public Policy Manager for Deloitte and a former Google head of public policy in the Persian Gulf, "This is the closest thing in the Middle East to glasnost"; other businessmen have compared the purge to Russian president Vladimir Putin's politically motivated attacks on Russian oligarchs. Thomas Friedman at The New York Times called it Saudi Arabia's Arab Spring. In Saudi Arabia the purge was supported by the Council of Senior Scholars. ==Aftermath==

The 2017 purge of the Saudi political and business elite was followed in 2018 by arrests of 17 women's rights activists, including Aziza al-Yousef, Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, Aisha al-Mana and Madeha al-Ajroush Nasser Al Qarni, the son of a prominent Saudi cleric, Awad Al-Qarni, who was arrested during the 2017 purge, was given a warning by the Saudi state security officials not to discuss the treatment of his father. Nasser was warned that doing so would lead to his imprisonment or execution. The criticism of the kingdom in Awad’s tweet led to his arrest in 2017. As a result of the threat from the state security, Nasser applied for asylum and moved to the UK. ==Committee conclusion==

On 30 January 2019, the Saudi King Salman reviewed the final report submitted by the committee chairman stating that 381 individuals were ordered and some of them as witnesses. The report also stated that Saudi Arabia's Public Prosecutor rejected the settlements with 56 individuals due to already existing criminal charges against them, while eight individuals denied the settlements and were referred to the Public Prosecutor. ==See also==