[squeerisott]

06/16/12 07:56 AM ET AP



RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Crown Prince Nayef, the hard-line interior minister who spearheaded Saudi Arabia's
fierce crackdown crushing al-Qaida's branch in the country after the 9/11 attacks in the United States and then
rose to become next in line to the throne, has died. He was in his late 70s.

Nayef's death unexpectedly reopens the question of succession in this crucial U.S. ally and oil powerhouse for the
second time in less than a year. The 88-year-old King Abdullah has now outlived two designated successors,
despite ailments of his own. Now a new crown prince must be chosen from among his brothers and half-brothers,
all the sons of Saudi Arabia's founder, Abdul-Aziz.



The figure believed most likely to be tapped as the new heir is Prince Salman, the current defense minister who
previously served for decades in the powerful post of governor of Riyadh, the capital. The crown prince will be
chosen by the Allegiance Council, an assembly of Abdul-Aziz's sons and some of his grandchildren.

A statement by the royal family said Nayef died Saturday in a hospital abroad. Saudi-funded pan-Arab TV station
Al-Arabiya later confirmed he died in Geneva.