“With the new detentions, Crown Prince Mohammed … now appears to have established control over all three Saudi security services — the military, internal security services and national guard.”

“Apolitical scholars who used to speak freely in cafes now look nervously over their shoulders, as Crown Prince Mohammed has achieved a degree of dominance that no ruler has attained for generations.”

“It is the coup de grâce of the old system,” Chas W. Freeman, a former United States ambassador, told the Times. “Gone. All power has now been concentrated in the hands of Mohammad bin Salman.”