Former Saudi official alleges Prince Mohammed forged king's signature on Yemen war decree, BBC says
https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-mohammed-bin-salman-yemen-war-563c0b2909a6adbc95863b5bb8de51fb
Former Saudi official alleges Prince Mohammed forged kings signature on Yemen war decree, BBC says
BY JON GAMBRELL
Updated 3:31 AM EDT, August 19, 2024
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A former Saudi official alleged in a report that Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman forged the signature of his father on the royal decree that launched the kingdoms yearslong, stalemated war against Yemens Houthi rebels.
Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the allegations made without supporting evidence by Saad al-Jabri in an interview published Monday by the BBC, though the kingdom has described him as a discredited former government official. Al-Jabri, a former Saudi intelligence official who lives in exile in Canada, has been a yearslong dispute with the kingdom as his two children have been imprisoned in case he describes as trying to lure him back to Saudi Arabia.
The allegation comes as Prince Mohammed now serves as the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, often meeting leaders in place of his father, the 88-year-old King Salman. His assertive behavior, particularly at the start of his ascension to power around the beginning of the Yemen war in 2015, extended to a wider crackdown on any perceived dissent or power base that could challenge his rule.
In al-Jabris remarks to the BBC, he said a credible, reliable official linked to the Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed to him that Prince Mohammed signed the royal decree declaring war in place of his father.
[...]