Mansour bin Muqrin Al Saud (1974 – 5 November 2017; ) was a

Saudi Saudi or Saudi Arabian may refer to: * Saudi Arabia * Saudis, people from Saudi Arabia * Saudi culture, the culture of Saudi Arabia * House of Saud, the ruling family of Saudi Arabia See also *Saud (disambiguation) The House of Saud The H ...

businessman, member of the

House of Saud The House of Saud ( ) is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud, founder of the Emirate of Diriyah, known as the First Saudi State, (1727–1818), and his brothers, though the ruling ...

, and advisor at the Court of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. In April 2015, he was appointed advisor to the

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (abbreviated as CTHM; ), or Protector of the Two Holy Cities, is a Royal and noble styles, royal style that has been used officially by the King of Saudi Arabia, monarchs of Saudi Arabia since 19 ...

with the rank of minister. He was the son of Prince Muqrin, former Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. He was one of the grandsons of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

's founder

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted as 1876, although a few sources give it as 1880. According to British author Robert Lacey's book ''The Kingdom'', ...

. He was killed in mysterious circumstances when his helicopter crashed near the country's border with Yemen on 5 November 2017, hours after a major purge of the kingdom's political and business leadership.

Family

Mansour was the second youngest son of Prince Muqrin and Abta bint Hamoud Al Rashid, and a full brother of Turki bin Muqrin, Faisal bin Muqrin and Bandar bin Muqrin, half brother of Fahd bin Muqrin. In 2009, Mansour married a daughter of his first cousin Prince

Saud bin Fahd Al Saud Saud bin Fahd Al Saud (; born 8 October 1950) is a Saudi Arabian businessman and the former Deputy Director of general intelligence directorate. He is a member of the House of Saud, son of King Fahd, and grandson of King Abdulaziz. Early life ...

Career

In 2013, Mansour bin Muqrin was named deputy governor of

'Asir Region Asir, officially the Aseer Province, is a province of Saudi Arabia in southern Arabia. It has an area of , and an estimated population of 2,024,285 (in 2022). Asir is bounded by the Mecca Province to the north and west, al-Bahah Province to the ...

which he held until his death in 2017. In January 2015, King Salman accepted Crown Prince Muqrin's recommendation that Mansour be made advisor at the Court of the Crown Prince. He was a partner in

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, writer, military officer and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War, and wa ...

's Saudi franchise. Mansour was vice chairman of Al Bayan Foundation, which builds colleges of higher education in Saudi Arabia.

Death

Mansour bin Muqrin died in a helicopter crash near

Abha Abha (, ') is the capital of Asir, Asir Province in Saudi Arabia. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abha's mild climate makes it a popular tourist destination fo ...

, near the border with

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

, along with seven other officials while returning from an inspection tour, according to the

Interior Ministry An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

. It did not give a cause for the crash. His brother Faisal in a statement to Saudi newspaper ''

Okaz ''Okaz'' () is an Arabic Saudi Arabian daily newspaper located in Jeddah. The paper was launched in 1960 and its sister publication is '' Saudi Gazette''. The paper is simultaneously printed in both Riyadh and Jeddah and has offices all over Sau ...

'' denied reports that Mansour's death was suspicious. In October 2018,

Middle East Eye ''Middle East Eye'' (MEE) is a United Kingdom-based media website and channel that primarily focuses on news related to the Middle East, North Africa, and the broader Muslim world. The ownership of the organisation is undisclosed. Some sources ...

claimed that Mansour was killed by the

Tiger Squad The Tiger Squad (, '), also known as UNIT 1103, and officially called the Rapid Intervention Force (Arabic: قوة التدخل السريع, ''Quat al-Tadakhul al-Sarie''), is a military unit under the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin ...

, and that he had fled the

2017 Saudi Arabian purge Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number) * One of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017, 2117 Science * Chlorine, a halogen in the periodic table * 17 Thetis, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American maga ...

which began on 4 November 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Mansour Muqrin 20th-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 21st-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians 1974 births 2017 deaths Mansour People from 'Asir Province Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Saudi Arabia Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2017