Saudi intelligence chief: MBS “encouraged” Russian intervention in Syria

Explosive new revelations by the former Saudi intelligence chief Saad al Jabri lay bare the inner tensions in the Saudi Kingdom.

The former Saudi spy master who fled to Canada in 2017 is now suing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in a Washington court for an alleged assasiantion plot.

In court filings al-Jabri has claimed that MBS actively engaged in “encouraging Russian intervention in Syria” in 2015.

Russian intervened in the war torn country just when the Assad regime was believed to be on the brink of collapse marking a new and even bloodier chapter for thousands of Syrians.

Al Jabri’s counterpart at the CIA, John Brennan, had become aware of secret communications between MBS and Russian President Vladimir Putin expressing concern at a possible deeper Russian intervention in Syria.

In a wide ranging lawsuit, Al-Jabri, claims that MBS flew into a “fury” upon finding out that Brennan had found out about his meeting.

Al Jabri is known to have been close to US national security structures, and current revelations are likely to have considerable impact on MBS’s standing within the Kingdom as he attempts to consolidate his power.

Moreover the former Saudi spy chief was also a close ally and confidante of the former Crown Prince and heir apparent Muhammad bin Nayef, who was later deposed by MBS and is now facing prison time.

For MBS the revelations are also likely to sully his image amongst the world's Muslim population. If he becomes king one day one of the titles he will be taking is the ‘Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’, Islams most sacred places of worship.

The current revelations linking MBS with the deaths of hundreds of thousands of fellow Muslims in Syria will likely be used by sceptics to show that the crown prince is unsuitable for the role.

Al Jabri was ultimately dismissed from all his duties in 2015 by the Crown Prince who felt that he was “plotting” against his rule.

The paranoia by MBS and his inner circle to any sign of dissent led to the murder Jamal Khasoggi in the Saudi Consulate of Istanbul in 2018. Al Jabri's lawsuit claims that a similar fate awaited him before Canadian authorities foiled the plot.

Al Jabri escaped MBS’s clutches fleeing to Canada, his family however could not leave Saudi Arabia and has become a bargaining chip for the Crown Prince seeking to bring back someone who threatens his rule.

MBS is fearful about the information that Al-Jabri possesses, which is laid bare in the lawsuit.

“Dr. Saad was privy to sensitive information about Defendant bin Salman’s covert political scheming within the Royal Court, corrupt business dealings, and creation of a team of personal mercenaries that Defendant bin Salman would later use to carry out the extrajudicial killing of Jamal Khashoggi, among others.

“Few places hold more sensitive, humiliating, and damning information about Defendant bin Salman than the mind and memory of Dr. Saad."

The court filing is also a warning shot across the bow of MBS who is holding Jabri’s family, that should anything happen to them further embarrassing details may come to light.