- Faisal bin Musaid
-
Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdul-Aziz House of Saud Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud Prince Faisal bin Musaid bin Abdul-Aziz (April 4, 1944 – June 18, 1975) (Arabic: فيصل بن مساعد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود) was the assassin and nephew of King Faisal.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Family
Faisal's father was Prince Musaid. His mother was Watfa, a daughter of Muhammad bin Talal, the 12th (and last) Rashidi amir. He was born in Riyadh.
In 1966, his brother Khaled allegedly died in a Riyadh protest against the introduction of television.[1] The details of his death are disputed. Some reports allege that he actually died resisting arrest outside his own home. No investigation over his death was ever initiated. Faisal had another brother, Prince Bandar, and a sister, Princess Al Jawhara.
Education
Faisal studied in the United States.[2] He went to San Francisco State College and the University of Colorado.[3] He was described by his peers as "quiet, likable, notably unstudious young man".[2] University of Colorado Professor Edward Rozek, who had taught him in three comparative government courses, described him as "academically a D and a C student" and his motivation for his future assassination "must have been drugs".[1]
In 1970, he was arrested in Boulder, Colorado for selling LSD and hashish.[2] In May 1970, the district attorney dropped the charges.[2] Afterward, Faisal took graduate courses in political science at Berkeley. He did not finish his degree and he left the United States after being granted diplomatic immunity.
Christine Surma
His girlfriend was Christine Surma, a blond part-time movie actress turned auctioneer who played in Bite of the Cobra.[1] She was 26 at the time of the assassination.[1] Surma viewed the Saudi's interest "in achieving peace with Israel" as positive outcomes "not available with the previous ruler [King Faisal]".[4] She stated her boyfriend was a "perfect gentleman who was proud of his family and his country".[5]
After the United States
After leaving the United States, he went to Beirut. For unknown reasons, he also went to East Germany.
When he came back to Saudi Arabia, Saudi authorities seized his passport because of his troubles abroad. He began teaching at Riyadh University and kept in touch with Christine Surma.
Assassination and trial
Royal Palace shooting
On March 25, 1975 he went to the Royal Palace in Riyadh, where King Faisal was holding a majlis. He joined a Kuwaiti delegation and lined up to meet the king. The king recognized his nephew and bent his head forward, so that the younger Faisal could kiss the king's nose in a sign of respect. The prince took out a revolver from his robe and shot the King twice in the head. His third shot missed and he threw the gun away. King Faisal fell to the floor. Bodyguards with gold swords and submachine guns arrested the prince.[6] The king was quickly rushed to a hospital but doctors failed in saving him. Before dying, King Faisal ordered that the assassin not be executed.[citation needed] Saudi television crews captured the entire assassination on camera.[citation needed]
Imprisonment and execution
Initial reports described Faisal bin Musaid as "mentally deranged." He was moved to a Riyadh prison.[7]
He was deemed mentally sane to be tried in court for his crime.[8] He was found guilty of murder. Hours after the verdict, he was publicly decapitated in Riyadh.
Motives
He had undergone psychiatric treatment in Beirut, where he had blamed his uncle for the death of his brother. His involvement with drugs was cited as one of the motivations in the assassination. Saudi officials began to state that the prince's actions were deliberate and planned. Rumors suggested that the prince had told his mother about his assassination plans who in turn told King Faisal. King Faisal had responded that "if it was Allah's will, then it would happen". Arab media implied that the prince had been a tool of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.[9]
Beirut newspapers offered three different explanations for the attack. An-Nahar reported that the attack may have been possible vengeance for the dethroning of King Saud because Prince Faisal was scheduled to marry Saud's daughter — Princess Sita — in the same week.[10] An-Nahar also reported that King Faisal had ignored his repeated complaints that his $3500 monthly allowance was insufficient and this may have caused the assassination.[10] Al-Bayrak reported that according to reliable Saudi sources, King Faisal prohibited him from leaving the country because of his excessive alcohol and drug consumption overseas and the attack may have been a retaliation against the ban.[10] It is a commonly-held, but unsubstantiated, popular belief in Saudi Arabia that he was a pawn in a Western conspiracy to assassinate King Faisal.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d "Reported Killer of King Faisal Knew Drugs, Radicals." The Journal [Meriden, Connecticut] 25 Mar. 1975: 18. Print. [1]
- ^ a b c d http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917224-2,00.html#ixzz1AyvreNfM
- ^ "Saudi Arabia's King Faisal Assasinated." Lodi News-Sentinel [Lodi, California] 26 Mar. 1975, 11th ed., sec. 261: 1. Print.[2]
- ^ "Saudi Prince Beheaded." The News and The Courier [Charleston, South Carolina] 19 June 1975: 1-2. Print. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=obBbAAAAIBAJ&sjid=t1ENAAAAIBAJ&pg=1398,3869928&dq=saudi+prince+salman&hl=en
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917224-2,00.html#ixzz1AywCScfa
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917224-1,00.html
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917224-2,00.html#ixzz1AyCk3M4O
- ^ "Milwaulkee Sentinel." Faisal's Slawyer Will Stand Trial [Milwaukee, Wisconsin] 31 Mar. 1975: 2. Print.[3]
- ^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917224-3,00.html#ixzz1AyxCGL2K
- ^ a b c "Motives for Slaying Offered." Daily News [Bowling Green, Kentucky] 24 Mar. 2975: 5. Print.[4]
- ^ Fred Halliday, "Political killing in the cold war", Published by openDemocracy Ltd. [5]
- "Assassin's Fate and Motives Unknown." New York Times 27 Mar 1975 : 3.
- de Onis, Juan. "Motive Unknown." New York Timfes 26 Mar 1975 : 1 & 8.
- Pace, Eric. "Rumors of a Beheading Draw Crowds in Riyadh." New York Times 5 Apr 1975 : 3.
Categories:- House of Saud
- 1944 births
- 1975 deaths
- People executed by decapitation
- Saudi Arabian assassins
- Executed Saudi Arabian people
- People executed by Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabian people convicted of murder
- 20th-century executions
- Regicides
- People convicted of murder by Saudi Arabia
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
