The visits by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to Saudi Arabia in recent days have brought renewed attention to Western intelligence information that had nearly been concealed, concerning the fate of King Salman. According to the information, Carney requested a meeting with Salman, but his intelligence service informed him that he was no longer alive, and the same occurred with Mudavadi.
The intelligence information said that his son Mohammed is currently unable to announce his father’s death because he is the sole source of legitimacy for his rule. Without his father, he would have to obtain legitimacy from the Allegiance Council, which he is unable to secure.
The available information indicates that Mohammed bin Salman is seeking to purchase US guarantees to keep him in power before arranging the announcement of his father’s death. This was reportedly one of the reasons behind the depletion of the state budget and the resulting bankruptcy of hundreds of companies.
The last documented appearance of Salman was on 8 December 2022, after which he disappeared until today.
What has appeared since his disappearance?
- Still images whose publisher (his son Mohammed) claims are recent.
- Silent videos in which he does not speak, whose publisher (his son Mohammed) claims are recent.
Observations on the images and videos:
- They do not include the presence of a reliable third party, such as another head of state.
- He is not shown speaking in them.
- They were not recorded and published by a third party, such as a non-Saudi news agency.
Salman has been absent from events at which he would be expected not to be absent, such as:
- Receiving heads of state.
- Attending Arab, Islamic and Gulf summit meetings.
- Delivering annual speeches.
Since his disappearance:
- Decisions, orders and decrees have continued to be issued in his name.
- No third party has announced that they personally met with him during their visit to Saudi Arabia.