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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Something is definitely going on [npr.org] in Saudi Arabia:

Saudi authorities arrested at least 11 princes, several current ministers and dozens of former ministers in a sweeping move reportedly designed to consolidate power for the son of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud. According to media reports citing Saudi-owned television network Al Arabiya, an anti-corruption committee ordered the arrests hours after King Salman directed the creation of the committee, headed by his favorite son and adviser, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The committee was established by the royal decree, The Associated Press reports [apnews.com], "due to the propensity of some people for abuse, putting their personal interest above public interest, and stealing public funds." Billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is among those detained, The Wall Street Journal reports [wsj.com]. Alwaleed holds stakes in some of the world's major companies, including Apple and Twitter.

Remember Prince Alwaleed? Bitcoin could outlive him [soylentnews.org].

It's unclear what those arrested are accused of doing, but Al-Arabiya [wikipedia.org] reported that new investigations into the 2009 Jeddah floods [wikipedia.org] and 2012 MERS virus outbreak [wikipedia.org] have been launched.

Separately, the heads of the Saudi National Guard and Saudi Royal Navy have also been replaced.

BBC notes that the reform faction is in control here [bbc.com]:

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says Prince Mohammed is moving to consolidate his growing power while spearheading a reform programme. [...] Prince Mohammed recently said the return of "moderate Islam" was key to his plans to modernise Saudi Arabia [bbc.co.uk]. Addressing an economic conference in Riyadh, he vowed to "eradicate the remnants of extremism very soon". Last year, Prince Mohammed unveiled a wide-ranging plan to bring social and economic change to the oil-dependent kingdom.

Soylentils have been skeptical of Saudi Arabia's recent moves towards liberalization (some listed below). Has this apparent purge of internal political opposition changed your mind about the viability of these reforms?

Also at NYT [nytimes.com] and Recode [recode.net], which notes that the arrest of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is a potential setback for Saudi Arabia's tech ambitions (Alwaleed has had stakes [nytimes.com] in Apple, Twitter, and Lyft).

Previously: SoftBank May Sell 25% of ARM to Vision Fund; Chairman Meets With Saudi King [soylentnews.org]
Saudi Arabia, UAE to Donate to Women Entrepreneurs Fund [soylentnews.org]
Saudi Arabia to Lift Ban on Online VoIP and Video Calling Services [soylentnews.org]
Saudi Arabia Will Lift Ban on Women Drivers Next Year [soylentnews.org]
Saudi Arabia Planning $500 Billion Megacity and Business Zone [soylentnews.org]
Robot Granted "Citizenship" in Saudi Arabia, Sparking Backlash [soylentnews.org]
Saudi Arabia Announced Plans to Extract Uranium for Domestic Nuclear Power Program [soylentnews.org]

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