Mutaib bin Abdullah

Mutaib bin Abdullah Al Saud (, Mutaʿib bin ʿAbdullāh ʾĀl Suʿūd, alternative spelling Miteb; born 26 March 1952) is a Saudi prince, son of King Abdullah and grandson of Saudi's founder King Abdulaziz, and military officer who served as from 2013 to 2017 and commander of the National Guard from 2010 to 2013. He was arrested on 4 November 2017 along with other Saudi princes including Prince Al Waleed. He was stripped of his position as minister on the same day. He was released on 28 November 2017 after agreeing an "acceptable settlement" with authorities of more than $1 billion (£750m).

Early life and education Prince Mutaib was born on 26 March 1952. However, other sources report his birth year as 1953 or his birthday as 12 October 1953. Concerning birth place the reports also vary, some arguing that he was born in Riyadh, but another claims that his birthplace is al Ulya, a village in northern Saudi Arabia. who died in December 2020.

Mutaib is one of 36 children and the third son of King Abdullah.

Mutaib bin Abdullah and his older brother Khalid attended Brummana High School in Lebanon and completed their secondary education in Jeddah. Later, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst as a lieutenant in 1974. He received a master's degree at King Khalid Military College. in addition to his post as the commander of the King Khalid military college and the National Guard military college. In 1995, he was promoted to the rank of the team captain. In June 2009, King Abdullah appointed him as deputy commander of SANG responsible for executive affairs at the rank of minister.

On 17 November 2010, Mutaib bin Abdullah became the commander of SANG, replacing King Abdullah. He conducted a major $3 billion reorganization of SANG to develop its firepower and artillery. Okaz reported in May 2012 that Prince Mutaib had some future plans to establish a body in SANG having female soldiers.

His appointment was commonly considered to reflect King Abdullah's emphasis that it was time to start giving the power to the next generation in a way that would reduce the risk of a power struggle within the Saudi royal family. His appointment was also regarded as a move to prepare him for assuming higher-level responsibility in the future. On 27 May 2013, Prince Mutaib was appointed minister of national guard, a post newly created.

Arrest

On 4 November 2017 Prince Mutaib was arrested and removed from his position as minister of the National Guard and replaced by Khalid bin Abdulaziz bin Mohammed bin Ayyaf Al Muqrin in the post.

Prince Mutaib was accused of embezzlement, hiring ghost employees and awarding contracts to his own companies including a $10 billion deal for walkie talkies and bulletproof military gear worth billions of Saudi riyals. Prince Mutaib was released on 28 November 2017 after agreeing to pay authorities a sum, reported to be over $1 billion, or 6 billion Riyals, about 1,6 billion USD. According to one source from inside the Saudi opposition, the price for Prince Mutaib's release was $10 billion.

Other positions Prince Mutaib was appointed as a cabinet member with the rank of minister of state in November 2010. He was a member of the Military Service Council. He was vice president of the Supreme Committee of the National Festival for Heritage and Culture and the head of the technical committee of the Equestrian Club as well as a member of the board of directors of King Abdulaziz Public Library.

Influence In 1997, Paul Michael Wihbey correctly predicted that Crown Prince Abdullah would make his son, Prince Mutaib, the commander of SANG and that Mutaib would modernize SANG's capabilities in regard to counter-insurgency, information collection and tactical field operations. He also regarded Mutaib as a knowledgeable and highly competent commanding officer with strong professional ties to the U.S. military.

Prince Mutaib's influence seems to begin when he was a military officer in the SANG as a result of being the main advisor to his father, Abdullah, commander of the SANG. He is considered to be a competent member of House of Saud and enjoy a wide following in the large tribes of central Arabia.

Mutaib bin Abdullah is reported to have some characteristics that make him one of the leading second generation princes, such as his low-profile political status and conservative personal approach and commitment to his father’s doctrine, in addition to his strong tribal bonds.

Views Saudi university students organized demonstrations at King Khalid University in March 2012, complaining about negative conditions. Prince Mutaib considered these demonstrations as a threat against the security of the Kingdom.

In Spring 2013 Prince Mutaib stated "religion (should) not enter into politics" which led a serious concern among religious leaders. Just two days after this statement of Prince Mutaib the clergy met with King Abdullah to express their concern. Seba, Nouf, Abdullah, Zeina, Saad and Khalid. He is also married to a daughter of Saleh Fustuq whose sister was the former wife of King Abdullah. More significantly, Prince Abdullah bin Mutaib had two Olympic appearances, one in 2012 London Olympics. One of Prince Mutaib's sons is married to Nouf bint Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud, a daughter of his aunt, Seeta bint Abdulaziz. The daughter of Prince Mutaib, Nouf, is married to Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud.