Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah died early on Friday and his brother Salman became king, the royal court in the world’s top oil exporter said in an official statement. King Salman named his half-brother Muqrin as his crown prince and heir, rapidly moving to forestall any fears of a succession crisis. “His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1am this morning (3am in Pakistan),†said the statement carried by state television. King Abdullah, born in 1924, had ruled Saudi Arabia as king since 2005, but had run the country as de facto regent for a decade before that after his predecessor King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke. In his first public statement as king, Salman, 79, vowed to “remain, with God’s strength, attached to the straight path that this state has walked since its establishmentâ€.He called for “unity and solidarity†among Muslims and vowed to work in “the defence of the causes of our nationâ€. Moving to clear uncertainty over the to the next generation, he named his nephew, Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, as second in line to the throne behind Crown Prince Moqren, 69. That helps to solidify control by his Sudayri branch of the royal family. Salman also appointed one of his own sons, Prince Mohammed, as defence minister. Gulf rulers and other leaders, including Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined Salman bin Abdulaziz for a simple funeral at Riyadh’s Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque.
