Saudi Arabia releases videos to quell rumors about Crown Prince’s well-being

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‍Saudi Arabia on Wednesday released a couple of videos purportedly showing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to quell the rumors surrounding the powerful royal’s absence from the public eye.

In a video provided to CGTN Digital, Prince Mohammed is seen attending the opening ceremony of huge entertainment resort Qiddiya, 40 kilometers west of Saudi capital, on April 28. The video shows the Crown Prince sitting next to his father King Salman bin Abdulaziz in the front row watching a performance by a Saudi singer at the ceremony.

A screenshot of the video showing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (right) sitting next to King Salman bin Abdulaziz in the front row during a performance at the opening ceremony of the huge entertainment resort Qiddiya, 40 kilometers west of Saudi capital, on April 28, 2018. /Video via CIC Saudi Arabia

The CNN meanwhile reported that the kingdom provided the American network with a video that reportedly showed the Crown Prince chairing a meeting of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs on May 29. However, CNN couldn’t verify when the video was shot.

The videos were released after the high profile prince’s prolonged absence from public eye following an alleged shooting incident in the royal palace in Riyadh on April 21, which sparked wild speculation about his well-being with an Iranian news report sensationally claiming that the powerful prince could “actually be dead” after being hit by two bullets while other reports hint he might be under siege.

It was reported that the Crown Prince has barely been seen in public after the palace gunfire incident, prompting questions over his whereabouts and health.

Screenshots of tweets from state-run Saudi Press Agency showing Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman chairing meetings of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs on May 23 (right) and May 30, 2018.

The Saudi royal family had released several photographs of the high profile Crown Prince over the last week, the latest of which were released through the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Wednesday in a bid to quash the wild speculation.

Also on Wednesday, a Dubai-based Middle East analyst, speaking to CGTN Digital, dismissed the reports as "rumors spread by Iran's propaganda machinery." The analyst, who did not wish to be identified, also cited Prince Mohammed's presence at the opening ceremony as evidence of his well-being and described the speculative reports as "fake news."

Various news agencies have reported that on the night of April 21, loud gunshots were heard from the royal palace in Riyadh. This led to rumors of an ongoing military coup on social media. Saudi officials however promptly dismissed any suggestions to a coup claiming security forces had shot down a toy drone which was hovering too close to the palace.

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