Saudi Arabia's heir to the throne is overseeing an unprecedented wave of arrests of dozens of the country's most powerful princes, military officers, influential businessmen and government ministers.
Among those caught in the anti-corruption sweep are billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the world's richest men with many Western business interests, as well as two of the late King Abdullah's sons.
The arrest of senior princes upends a longstanding tradition among the ruling Al Saud family to keep their disagreements private to show strength and unity in the face of Saudi Arabia's many tribes and factions. It also sends a message that the 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has the full backing of his father, King Salman.
A helicopter crash near the Yemen border in Asir province killed Prince Mansur bin Muqrin and eight other officials on Sunday coinciding with the arrests.
Reports suggest those detained are being held at the Ritz Carlton in Riyadh. A Saudi official has told The Associated Press other five-star hotels across the city are also being used to house those arrested.
The Ritz Carlton had no availability for bookings until December 1, 2017 - a possible sign that an investigation of this scale could take weeks. Marriott International said it's currently evaluating the situation at the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, but declined to comment further, citing privacy concerns.
A Saudi government official with close ties to security forces spoke on condition of anonymity that 11 princes and 38 others were being questioned.
Pro-government media say the arrests show Prince Mohammed is keeping his promise to reform the country, wean its economy from oil dependency and liberalise parts of the ultraconservative society.
The kingdom's top council of clerics issued a public statement overnight saying it is an Islamic duty to fight corruption - essentially giving religious backing to the high-level arrests.
It's unclear if the US had any advance word of the arrests although President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner made a recent unannounced trip to Riyadh.
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