Saudi Arabia crown prince's power play is more than just a purge

Removal of Mutaib Bin Abdullah is a continuation of Mohammad bin Salman's strategy to bring various royals' security fiefdoms under his control

The night of November 5 was a long one in Riyadh. Saudi authorities began a widespread crackdown aimed, on the one hand, against former economic policymakers and business leaders and, on the other, against the chiefs of the Saudi National Guard and Saudi Royal Navy. This had the look of a political purge – but it is much bigger than that.

The first sign of how serious this was came on November 4 with the removal of Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, eldest son of the late King Abdullah and head of a powerful fiefdom, the Saudi Arabian National