Crown prince, interior minister of Saudi Arabia dies

Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi Arabian prince who oversaw the kingdom’s vast internal security apparatus for more than 35 years, amassing prestige and influence on his path to becoming heir to the throne, died on Saturday. News outlets in Saudi reported that he died of undisclosed causes at a hospital in Geneva. He was about 78 or 79 in age.

Prince Nayef became crown prince in 2011, first in line to succeed the king. Prince Nayef recently emerged as a close ally to the U.S. on counterterrorism and the fight to annihilate al Qaeda. Interior minister since 1975, Nayef was responsible for protecting the Saudi realm and maintaining order within its borders. Between 2003 and 2006, he led a vicious campaign against al Qaeda after a series of attacks inside Saudi Arabia. Nayef was praised for assisting to suppress Islamic radicalism. He was also a member of the prestigious “Sudairi Seven,” an elite group of brothers who ruled the realm’s most prominent institutions.