King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has died at the age of 90 and will be succeeded by Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz. According to an official statement from the Royal Council, King Abdullah passed away at 1AM local time in Saudi Arabia on Friday. The official statement added that the funeral procession will be held in Riyadh after evening prayers on Friday. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Salman has appeared on Saudi state television mourning King Abdullah. Deputy Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, who was Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief between 2005 and 2012, will replace Salman as Crown Prince Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior Mohammed bin Nayef has been named the Deputy Crown Prince. Saudi Arabian television channels run by MBC have meanwhile started playing Quranic verses to mourn the death of King Abdullah, who came to power in 2005. King Abdullah had suffered from pneumonia in December and was hospitalised for treatment, raising concerns over the King’s health. Who is the new king? Crown Prince Salman, 79, is the half-brother of the late King Abdullah and was the governor of the Riyadh province from 1963 until 2011 and has served as the country’s Minister…
