DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's crown prince meant to send a strong message to critics within the royal family by detaining senior princes this weekend: Don't you dare oppose my succession to the throne.
The main target in the crackdown, sources said, is King Salman's brother, Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, one of only three members of the Allegiance Council, the royal body that endorses the line of succession, to oppose Mohammed bin Salman becoming crown prince in 2017 in a palace coup.
The princes have been held at royal villas in the capital Riyadh and some were allowed to contact their families, those sources said. If Mohammed bin Salman, 34, succeeds his father, it will be Saudi Arabia's first generational transfer of power since the death of state founder Abdulaziz Ibn Saud in 1953, who was followed by six of his sons in succession.
Two sources used the same phrase, saying the princes were being warned with a"twist of the ear" to stop criticising the crown prince. Saudi insiders and Western diplomats say the family is unlikely to oppose the crown prince while the king is alive, and the monarch would not turn against his favourite son, to whom he has delegated most responsibilities of rule.
The other two members of the Allegiance Council who opposed Mohammed bin Salman becoming crown prince in 2017 are younger and less prominent than Ahmed. One of them lives abroad.
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