Under the leadership of Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has kicked its spy apparatus into overdrive. The monarchy’s primary targets include opposition journalists and dissident activists living abroad, particularly in the United Kingdom but also around the globe.
However, well-informed sources revealed that members of the royal family are also targeted by the MBS-directed spy apparatus, including his allies.
The sources also confirmed that senior officials in the Saudi interior ministry do not trust each other due to the rising slander within the ministry.
The sources further pointed out that senior security officers enjoy imaginary salaries and privileges, while soldiers and security forces receive very law salaries, which led to a large gap between officers and their soldiers, raising serious concern over the national security of the Kingdom.
Since taking office in 2017, MBS created the Presidency of State Security, combined counterterrorism and intelligence operations under one entity and disconnected the body from the Ministry of Interior. The activities of the Presidency are under the direct supervision of the Crown prince.
This change was mainly aimed to spy on human rights activists and opponents, according to the Toronto-based Citizen Lab.
In 2019, MBS appointed 800 new security officers. The elevation of a whole generation of younger officers who are already loyal to the crown prince or stand to benefit from the avenues he is opening up for accelerated promotion and meaningful command will further secure MBS’s position.
MBS has been using cybercrime laws to secure convictions against protesters, raising questions about British co-operation on cybersecurity including training provided to Saudi police. Last year it emerged the College of Policing in Britain had trained Saudi police in intelligence gathering on protesters despite concerns that it could be used to identify people who would be “tortured or subjected to other human rights abuses”.
In 2018, Saudi Arabia has inked a deal worth $250 million in advanced espionage technologies with Israel after a series of backroom meetings.
This revelation highlights the Kingdom’s increasingly aggressive spy apparatus under the Saudi Crown Prince — used to heighten attacks on journalists and dissidents living abroad, as evidenced by the recent killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Media sources earlier revealed that Saudi and Israeli officials held a series of secret meetings in Washington and London with the assistance of a European mediator.
The tech package includes the “most sophisticated systems” Israel has ever sold to any Arab country. The purchase also includes Israeli-led training for Saudi technicians operating the new systems. Saudi Arabia has already put most of the new espionage technology into use.
The reports state that the two countries also exchanged strategic military information and plan to expand their military cooperation in the future.
