Some Saudi royals seeking to prevent crown prince from becoming king

Some members of the Saudi royal family are trying to prevent Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from becoming king amid international uproar over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Reuters reported on Tuesday citing sources close to the royal court.

"Dozens of princes and cousins from powerful branches of the Al Saud family want to see a change in the line of succession but would not act while King Salman - the crown prince's 82-year-old father - is still alive," Reuters reported.

One of the sources claimed that they intend to support Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, King Salman's younger brother. Reuters said that "Prince Ahmed, King Salman's only surviving brother, would have the support of family members, the security apparatus and some Western powers."

The Saudi sources also said that US officials are concerned not only about the Saudi crown prince's alleged role in the Khashoggi death, but also about his intention "to explore alternative weapons supplies from Russia." In Mohammed bin Salman's letter to the defense ministry seen by Reuters, the crown prince advises to "focus on purchasing weapon systems and equipment in the most pressing fields," including Russian S-400 missile systems.

Jamal Khashoggi, known for his criticism of Saudi Arabia's policies, left his home country and moved to the United States in 2017. He worked for The Washington Post, analyzing the situation in Saudi Arabia and the country's foreign policy. On October 20, Saudi authorities announced that the journalist died in a fight in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the murder had been carefully planned. The international community condemned Khashoggi’s murder and called for a transparent investigation.

The Washington Post earlier reported that US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has concluded that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of Khashoggi. "The CIA’s assessment, in which officials have said they have high confidence, is the most definitive to date linking Mohammed to the operation," the newspaper said citing people familiar with the matter. "In reaching its conclusions, the CIA examined multiple sources of intelligence, including a phone call that the prince's brother Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, had with Khashoggi," the Washington Post added noting that "Khalid told Khashoggi <...> that he should go to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to retrieve the documents and gave him assurances that it would be safe to do so."