Saad Aljabri, a former Saudi minister of state and close aide of ex-crown prince and intelligence boss Mohammed bin Nayef, has been in exile since 2017. He has repeatedly alleged that Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is plotting to kill him. Aljabri fled Saudi Arabia for Canada after MBS ousted bin …
Read More »New York Times journalist hacked, researchers suspect Saudi Arabia of having used notorious Pegasus malware
Hubbard, a reporter covering the Middle East, wrote on Sunday that a hacking attempt was first made on his phone in 2018, when he received a “suspicious” Arabic language text message inviting him to a protest outside the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC. A similar message followed, and digital rights …
Read More »Fans who greeted Saudi owners with mock headdresses could be given ‘education workshops’ on cultural offensiveness and stereotypes
Exuberant fans of the underperforming top-flight team, which is now owned by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) following a protracted takeover, were filmed dancing outside St James’ Park while waving the Saudi national flag before the 3-2 defeat to Tottenham on Sunday. While supporters celebrated …
Read More »Saudi takeover of Premier League club Newcastle ‘expected to go through’ after Qatar drops broadcaster ban placed on Gulf state
Crown Prince Mohammed of Saudi Arabia, who is the director of the country’s vast sovereign wealth fund (PIF), made a $381 million bid for the north-east giants in April 2020, launching a seemingly endless series of twists and turns over the proposed takeover. In the 18 months that have since passed, …
Read More »Saudi-Canadian Islamic State narrator, ‘voice behind violence’ in terror group’s gruesome videos, hit with terror charges in US
Mohammed Khalifa was charged with conspiring to provide material support to IS resulting in death, the US Department of Justice announced on Saturday. Khalifa was captured in 2019 by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-supported and predominantly Kurdish faction in Syria’s multi-front civil war. According to a Justice Department …
Read More »Saudi Arabia & Iran may re-establish relations after series of discrete meetings – reports
Saudi and Iranian officials met in Baghdad this week, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing Iraqi sources. The meeting’s agenda was “dominated by efforts to repair the bilateral relationship and by regional issues concerning both sides,” according to the US outlet. Journalist and researcher Elijah Magnier went a step further, tweeting …
Read More »Declassified FBI 9/11 memo ‘puts to bed any doubts about Saudi complicity’ says group of victims’ families
The document released on Saturday is from 2016, when the now-closed FBI investigation into Saudi links to the terror attacks was still active. Families of 9/11 victims have asked multiple administrations for its release, expecting it to provide proof implicating the Saudi government or Saudi officials. Riyadh denied any connection …
Read More »‘Psychological warfare’: Iran blasts Western and Saudi reports blaming it for hijacking UAE tanker
On Wednesday, Shekarchi, a spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces, slammed media outlets for accusing Iran of being behind the “potential hijacking” of the Asphalt Princess in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday, as well as another recent attack on an Israeli-operated oil tanker. “Conflicting reports published by some Western, …
Read More »Saudi Aramco says its data being held for $50 MILLION in ransom on dark web, points finger at ‘contractor’
The company confirmed to AP on Wednesday it “recently became aware of the indirect release of a limited amount of company data which was held by third-party contractors.” The contractor was not identified, and it was unclear whether the data was obtained through hacking or leaking or some other way. …
Read More »Move over, Riyadh – The UAE is quietly attempting to eclipse Saudi Arabia and assert itself as the main power in the Persian Gulf
Unbeknownst to most in the West, the United Arab Emirates has been expanding its network of power throughout the Middle East and even beyond, to the point where its Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed seriously contests the power of Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Bin Salman. In the past weeks a dispute …
Read More »