Location Saudi Arabia | ||
The 1969 Saudi Arabian coup d'état plot was a failed coup d'état planned by numerous high-ranking members of the Royal Saudi Air Force that resulted in King Faisal ordering the arrest of hundreds of military officers, including some generals. The arrests were possibly based on a tip from American intelligence, but it is unclear how serious the threat actually was.
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Background
The 1950s and 1960s saw numerous coups d'état in the region. Muammar al-Gaddafi's coup that overthrew the monarchy in oil-rich Libya in 1969 was especially ominous for Saudi Arabia due to the similarity between the two sparsely-populated desert countries. As a result, King Faisal undertook to build a sophisticated security apparatus and cracked down firmly on dissent. As in all affairs, King Faisal justified these policies in Islamic terms. Early in his reign, when faced by demands for a written constitution for the country, King Faisal responded that "our constitution is the Quran."
The Plot
Utilizing the air force planes at their disposal, the plan was bomb the Royal Palace in Riyadh from the air, and hopefully in the process kill the King as well as other high ranking Princes who could possibly try and replace him. Following the Kings death the plotters planned to announce the formation of the Republic of the Arabian Peninsula.
Many of the conspirators were of Hijazi origin, and Yusuf Tawwil, a Hidjazi merchant, acquaintance of Prince Fahd, and one of the key conspirators, was believed to hold Hijazi separatist beliefs, with Hejaz having been an independent Kingdom until being annexed by the Saudis in 1925. Others involved in the plot were Najdis or Sunnis from Eastern Province.