News Sport
King Salman illustration infographic
Illustration shows Saudi Arabia’s King Salman
GN33526EN
EN

SAUDI ARABIA

King Salman

By Jordi Bou

September 24, 2015 - Saudi Arabia's King Salman has visited Mina after a stampede during the Hajj killed over 300 pilgrims and injured well over 400 more. Earlier this month the King vowed to find out what caused a crane collapse that killed 107 people at Mecca’s Grand Mosque ahead of the annual pilgrimage.

The two disasters come at a difficult time for King Salman, who came to the throne on the death of his brother Abdullah in January this year.

Unease over his rule has led a senior member of the Saudi royal family to circulate a letter expressing fears that the monarchy may collapse unless the king is urgently replaced. A grandson of the late King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud wrote a four-page letter calling on the royal family to hold an emergency meeting to address concerns that the House of Saud may be losing its grip on power.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 24/09/2015; STORY: Joanna Griffin; PICTURES: Bob Hoare
Advertisement