Explained: The latest roundup of Saudi royals

A Reuters report cited a regional source saying that Mohammed bin Salman accused the royals “of conducting contacts with foreign powers, including the Americans and others, to carry out a coup d’etat.”

What the latest arrests mean

Three senior royals were first reported to have been arrested: Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, the former Crown Prince, and Prince Nawaf bin Nayef, a royal cousin.

The New York Times later reported that Prince Nayef bin Ahmed, a former head of army intelligence, was also arrested.

Mohammed bin Nayef and Ahmed bin Abdulaziz are considered to be important figures in the Saudi royal household and were seen as potential rivals to Mohammed bin Salman.

The first, Mohammed bin Nayef, previously served as the Crown Prince of the Saudi kingdom until June 2017, when he was replaced by Mohammed bin Salman in a palace coup. He was considered a close partner by US intelligence officials, and as interior minister was credited with overcoming the al-Qaeda insurgency that the country faced during the 2000s, according to a BBC report.

The second, the 78-year-old Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, is the only surviving brother of King Salman, and is a highly respected figure in the ruling family. Saudi royals consider Ahmed as a possible alternative to Mohammed bin Salman, given his acceptability within the royal family, the country’s security establishment, as well as some Western powers.

Crown Prince Mohammed has been described as ruthless and ambitious. After becoming Crown Prince in 2017, he had several royals and other Saudis arrested in an anti-corruption campaign, detaining them for months at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh. The move caused a stir in Saudi Arabia and abroad.

The Crown Prince, known abroad by his initials MBS, was initially praised for bringing in economic and social reforms. In 2018, however, he faced criticism for his alleged role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent journalist. He has also been criticised for cracking down on women’s rights activists.