Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, a hard-line conservative who is credited with pushing back al Qaeda, has died, Saudi state TV said on Saturday.
Nayef, who had been named crown prince in October by his brother the king, was heir to the Saudi throne. State TV is broadcasting Quran readings as an expression of mourning for the prince, who died in Geneva, Switzerland.
“It is a shock. We are knew his health was frail but his death is a shock,” Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman Osama Nogali told CNN. “We still don’t know the reason behind his death.”
