Saudi Arabia`s King Salman on Thursday named a new intelligence chief, replaced part of his cabinet and fired two sons of the late king Abdullah in a major government shake-up seen as further entrenching the new monarch`s power.
“Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud issued a royal order today, relieving Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, Chief of General Intelligence, of his post,” the official Saudi Press Agency said.
The announcement came a week after Salman acceded to the throne following the death of Abdullah, aged about 90.
A separate decree said Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a nephew of Abdullah, was removed from his posts as Secretary General of the National Security Council and adviser to the king.