Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud ( ar, الأمير تركي بن عبد الله آل سعود) (born 21 October 1971) is the seventh son of King
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He served as deputy governor and then, governor of
Riyadh Province
The Riyadh Province ( ar, منطقة الرياض '), also known as the Riyadh Region, is a region of Saudi Arabia, located in the geographic center of the country. It has an area of and with a 2017 population of 8,216,284, it is the second-la ...
from 2013 to 29 January 2015. He was one of the 11 princes detained in November 2017 by
Mohammad bin Salman as a part of his anti-corruption drive on accusations of corruption in the
Riyadh Metro project and taking advantage of his influence to award contracts to his own companies. As of June 2021 he was still in detention.
Early life and education
Turki bin Abdullah was born on 21 October 1971.
He is the seventh son of
King Abdullah. His mother is Tathi bint Mishan Al Faisal Al Jarba, a member of the
Iraqi branch of the
Shammar tribe.
He has six blood siblings, including
Prince Mishaal and Princess Oraib, wife of
Salman bin Abdulaziz bin Salman who has been in detention since early 2018 together with his father.
Prince Turki began his higher education at
King Faisal Air Academy
The King Faisal Air Academy () is a military officer academy and flight school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia founded on 10 January 1968.
History
Founded on 10 January 1968, by Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Defense and Aviation, King F ...
.
[ Then he went to ]the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...
to continue his education, and trained at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
.[ He was also trained at King Fahd Air Base in ]Taif
Taif ( ar, , translit=aṭ-Ṭāʾif, lit=The circulated or encircled, ) is a city and governorate in the Makkan Region of Saudi Arabia. Located at an elevation of in the slopes of the Hijaz Mountains, which themselves are part of the Sarat M ...
.[ Then he attended a course of command and staff at Joint Command College in ]the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and received a master's degree in military science.[ He also holds a master's degree in strategic studies, which he obtained from the ]University of Wales
The University of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ''Prifysgol Cymru'') is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff � ...
.[ As of 2013 Prince Turki was a PhD candidate in international strategic studies at ]the University of Leeds
, mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased
, established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds
, t ...
.[
]
Career
Turki bin Abdullah was a military officer and an F-15 pilot at the Royal Saudi Air Force. In October 1997 he was promoted to the rank of captain pilot.[ Then he was promoted to the rank of colonel. In July 2006 Prince Turki was decorated with the rank of lieutenant colonel pilot. Then Prince Turki worked at King Abdulaziz Air Base in ]Dhahran
Dhahran ( ar, الظهران, ''Al-Dhahran'') is a city located in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. With a total population of 240,742 as of 2021, it is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Together with the nearby citi ...
as the commander of Squadron 92, 3rd air wing with a rank of group captain.[
Prince Turki was appointed deputy governor of the Riyadh province on 14 February 2013, replacing Muhammad bin Saad in the post. Therefore, he became deputy of the governor, Khalid bin Bandar, who was also appointed the same day. On 14 May 2014 he was appointed governor of Riyadh at rank of minister. Prince Turki's term as governor ended on 29 January 2015 when Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud was appointed to the post.
]
Controversy
In 2005 Prince Turki bin Abdullah co-founded the PetroSaudi, a private oil company. The company grew from drilling and oilfield management into trading, opening offices in London's Mayfair district with pictures of Saudi royalty and decked with national flags. The company is embroiled in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal. Prince Turki bin Abdullah is claimed to be the Saudi royal who gifted Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak
Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak ( ms, محمد نجيب بن عبد الرزاق, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th prime minister of Malaysi ...
$700 million.
Arrest
On 4 November 2017 Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud was detained on accusations of corruption in the Riyadh Metro project and taking advantage of his influence to award contracts to his own companies in a "corruption crackdown" conducted by a new royal anti-corruption committee in Saudi Arabia.
As of September 2020 Prince Turki was still in captivity.[
]
Achievements
Prince Turki was one of the key characters for Riyadh's metro creation.
Prince Turki was an active member of King Abdulaziz Foundation, as well as Prince Muhammed bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Riyadh. He assisted in the "intellectual security" inauguration ceremony alongside the .
Personal life
Prince Turki was the son-in-law of Prince Khalid bin Sultan. He married Hala bint Khalid on 14 January 2010. They have a daughter.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Turki Abdullah
Turki
Turki
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1971 births
Alumni of the University of Wales
Turki
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Living people
Turki
Turki
Saudi Arabian people of Iraqi descent
Saudi Arabian prisoners and detainees
Turki