Riyadh : The royal court said that King of Saudi Arabia Abdullah bin Abdulaziz had been died on Friday. He has been replaced by Crown Prince Salman.
Notify that Abdullah spent almost a decade on the throne of the world’s largest oil exporter.
According to official statement, late monarch’s half brother Moqren was named as the new Crown Prince.
After a recitation from the Koran, an announcer on state television said, “With great sadness and mourning His Royal Highness Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, and all members of the family and the nation, express condolences for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, passed away at exactly 1:00am (2200 GMT) this morning, Friday.”
The statement also said that Abdullah will be buried later Friday following afternoon prayers, and citizens would be invited to pledge allegiance to the new monarch and crown prince at the royal palace.
It has been believed that King Abdullah to be around 90 years old and was hospitalized on December 31 for checks.
The royal court announced two days later that he had pneumonia and was breathing with the aid of a tube.
Abdullah came to the throne in 2005 but had been a powerful figure in the kingdom for a decade before that after King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995.
In recent years, Abdullah’s advanced age and poor health have raised concerns about the future leadership of the largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Abdullah’s half-brother Salman, 79, became crown prince in June 2012 following the death of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz.
Due to ailing health of Abdullah, Salman used to represent the king at most recent public events.
In March 2014, King Abdullah named another half-brother, Prince Moqren, as a second crown prince, in an unprecedented move aimed at smoothing succession hurdles.
Moqren, a former air force officer born in 1945, is the youngest son of King Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia.
The throne has systematically passed from one of his sons to another, brothers and half-brothers.
Bureau Report
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