Imprisoned Saudi king suffers heart attack: Source

A detained Saudi king who was arrested in a 2018 raid recently suffered a heart attack while under house arrest in Riyadh, sources close to the family said on Tuesday.

Abdulaziz Al Saud and his son Salman have been held without formal charges for six years since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman led a crackdown on critics and rivals in the ruling family six years ago.

Prince Abdulaziz was hospitalized with a heart attack on Friday, said a source close to the family, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Three days later, he returned to his residence in the capital, where he remains under house arrest along with his son, the same source said.

“We are very concerned about his health,” the source said.

“He is not receiving any medical attention in the house,” the source added, blaming the prince’s continued detention for his deteriorating health.

Another source close to the family confirmed the heart attack and said Prince Abdulaziz had been taken home “so he could get better rest and care.”

The case of Prince Abdulaziz and his son has sparked international lobbying efforts for their release, including from European lawmakers and the United Nations.

In 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention accused Saudi authorities of “arbitrarily” arresting the two members of the royal family.

“The two men appear to have been targeted because of who they are and because they are members of the royal family,” the UN group said.

Prince Salman, who studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris, is a lesser member of the royal family and apparently posed no challenge to the Crown Prince.

Observers say the royal court may have been upset by Prince Salman’s meeting with Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff shortly before the 2016 US elections.

Schiff is a critic of US President Donald Trump, who is a staunch supporter of Prince Mohammed.