DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia, who was credited with crushing Al Qaeda in the desert kingdom, has died.
Nayef bin Abdulaziz, the crown prince of the country, had been receiving medical treatment in Geneva, Switzerland. He is believed to be 78.
Prince Nayef was head of the country’s interior ministry since 1975, and was responsible for establishing the feared religious police.
He won a degree of international prestige for his role in crushing Al Qaeda cells in the country, in the wake of 9/11.
On Saturday, Barack Obama paid tribute to his effort in combating extremism.
“Under his leadership, the United States and Saudi Arabia developed a strong and effective partnership in the fight against terrorism, one that has saved countless American and Saudi lives,” he said in a statement.
The cause of Prince Nayef’s death is not known. At the beginning of June, the deputy interior minister issued a statement saying that he was in good health, and would return soon
Prince Nayef became next in line to succeed 88-year-old King Abdullah just eight months ago, after his elder brother, the former crown prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz passed away.
Both the king and senior members of the royal family are all sons of Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, who founded the country in 1932.
It is expected that the defence minister Prince Salman, 76, will assume the position of crown prince in the wake of the death.
The death is unlikely to cause any major shakeup in the Saudi elite. “The secession in the Saudi household has always been very orderly, very organized,” said Khaled al-Maeena, editor in chief of the Saudi Gazette, in comments to Al Jazeera.
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