Muhammad bin Nayef

Muhammad bin Nayef Al Saud (محمد بن نايف آل سعود; born 30 August 1959), colloquially known by his initials MBN or MbN, is a former Saudi Arabian politician and businessman who served as the crown prince and first deputy prime minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2017 and as the minister of interior from 2012 to 2017.

Prince Muhammad is a grandson of the founding monarch, King Abdulaziz, and son of the former crown prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz.

Muhammad and Nayef were the first father-son duo in Saudi history to serve as crown prince.

Muhammad bin Nayef was born in Jeddah on 30 August 1959.

He is one of ten children of Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, himself a son of King Abdulaziz and full brother of King Fahd and King Salman.

Prince Muhammad has an older brother, Saud bin Nayef, and two younger half-brothers, Nawwaf bin Nayef and Fahd bin Nayef.

His mother, Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz bin Musaed, was a member of the Al Jiluwi branch of the House of Saud.

There he received a bachelor's degree in political science in 1981.

He took courses at Lewis & Clark College, but did not receive a degree.

He attended the FBI's security courses from 1985 to 1988, and trained with Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism units from 1992 to 1994.

The medal, named after George Tenet, CIA's longest-serving director, from 1996 to 2004, was handed to him by the newly appointed CIA director Mike Pompeo during a reception ceremony in Riyadh in the presence of minister of defense Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

Muhammad bin Nayef was appointed assistant interior minister for security affairs in 1999.

He had been a businessman before this appointment.

He was widely credited for the success of the Ministry's counter-terrorism program.

He was regarded as the architect of the government's counter-insurgency program.

He also served as the director of civil defense during his term as assistant minister.

He was considered to be an effective assistant interior minister.

In 2004, Muhammad bin Nayef was appointed to the rank of minister, becoming number two at the Ministry of Interior.

In November 2009, King Abdullah appointed Muhammad as a member of the influential Supreme Economic Council of Saudi Arabia.

This move was regarded as approval of the increase in then-Crown Prince Nayef's power by King Abdullah.

On the other hand, this appointment enabled Prince Muhammad to extend his influence over the government's economy policy.

In October 2010, he warned the U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser of the 2010 cargo plane bomb plot.

After the appointment of Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as interior minister upon the death of Prince Nayef in July 2012, Prince Muhammad became deputy interior minister.

On 5 November 2012, King Abdullah issued a royal decree and dismissed Prince Ahmed as minister of interior and appointed Prince Muhammad to the post.

He became the tenth interior minister of Saudi Arabia.

Prince Muhammad took the oath of office in front of King Abdullah on 6 November 2012.

His appointment was not regarded very positively by human rights activists due to Prince Muhammad's professional experience as a tough enforcer who imprisoned thousands of suspected troublemakers in Saudi Arabia.

However, he was regarded as less corrupt and less likely to abuse his power in comparison to other senior princes of his generation.

Prince Muhammad met with British Prime Minister David Cameron in January 2013.

He then met with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., on 14 January 2013.

They discussed issues of security and regional developments.

In late January 2013, Prince Muhammad announced that Saudi women would be allowed to work at the Saudi intelligence agency.

In February 2014, Prince Muhammad replaced Bandar bin Sultan, then intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia, and was placed in charge of Saudi intelligence in Syria.

Muhammad was assisted in this effort by Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, the minister of the Saudi Arabian National Guard.

Muhammad's uncle King Salman named him as crown prince on 29 April 2015.

On 21 June 2017 the king appointed his own son, Mohammed bin Salman, as crown prince and relieved Muhammad bin Nayef of all positions.

On 10 February 2017, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) granted its "George Tenet Medal" to Prince Muhammad for what the agency called his "excellent intelligence performance, in the domain of counter-terrorism and his unbound contribution to realize world security and peace".

She died in July 2019.

Muhammad bin Nayef studied in the United States.

He has been in detention since 6 March 2020 along with his uncle Ahmed and his half-brother Nawwaf.