Recently, the internationally renowned Politico newspaper revealed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s growing fear of assassination due to his rapid steps toward normalization with Israel.
This might be the first time MBS has openly expressed his fear of being targeted, as he knows that his actions over the past decade have amassed numerous enemies and hostile sentiments against him.
Mohammed bin Salman lacks any genuine political legitimacy. He rose to power solely due to hereditary ties—being the king’s son is the only reason he holds authority. There are no qualifications, no elections, and no real reason for someone like Mohammed bin Salman to be at the forefront of leadership.
If there were a referendum on MBS’s political legitimacy within the country, his approval would likely diminish each year. Perhaps in the early years of 2015 and 2016, when he was not directly leading the country, his legitimacy was less questioned. However, once he ousted Crown Prince Muqrin and solidified his control, MBS’s true face emerged.
The initial propaganda campaigns portraying him as an open-minded, progressive leader eager for dialogue with society quickly faded. In a television interview with Daoud Al-Shirian, MBS even stated with enthusiasm that those who fail would face the public’s wrath!
No criminal escapes the fear of punishment. Experts in psychology understand that a person’s behavior changes radically after committing criminal acts, though these changes vary from person to person.
Some individuals break down, others experience internal conflict and anxiety, leading to psychological disorders that they can only manage with medication. Some may even turn to alcohol to numb the disturbed side of their minds.
In the case of Mohammed bin Salman, no one knows exactly how he deals with these internal conflicts. However, what everyone does see is his behavior during public appearances.
He only attends events under heavy security, and his appearances are usually brief. He tends to flee the scene as soon as his duties are completed, indicating that he feels trapped in public spaces because he knows he is an extraordinary criminal. Internally, he is a shattered, paranoid, and unstable individual.
Another reason MBS lives in constant fear is his lack of true friends. He has created numerous enemies within his own inner circle—he has suppressed his cousins, uncles, many members of the royal family, as well as security and judicial officers, ministers, and businessmen.
Moreover, he has repressed intellectuals, religious scholars, youth, feminists, and even monitors unemployed people on Twitter. He has also persecuted various social groups, such as the Shia community, who are currently facing one of the most brutal periods in their history, with the highest number of executions targeting minors arrested between the ages of 10 and 13.
Externally, MBS’s list of adversaries is endless. He blockaded Qatar and unleashed the most contemptible individuals against them. He waged a senseless war with neighboring Yemen, committing countless massacres that will haunt Yemen for years.
He faces opponents he cannot surpass or even think of confronting, such as UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, who subtly undermines MBS because he knows his true strength.
Regarding Iran, MBS once threatened to take the fight to their doorstep, but now he seeks protection from the U.S. and Israel.
In the north and west, MBS is entangled in a failed coup attempt against Jordan’s King Abdullah II. In Egypt, he despises Sisi, who in turn exploits him. These are just a few of his countless international, regional, and local enmities. How could he not fear assassination?
Justice is the foundation of governance, providing a basis for psychological stability. However, MBS has never known the path of justice; he is steeped in corruption, superficiality, and betrayal. This is his destiny, his fate, and the way of life he has embraced, with stories of his misdeeds well-known since his adolescence.
He has consistently evaded the law, shielded by his father’s position as Emir of Riyadh. The Saudi legal system protects members of the royal family from prosecution, punishment, or discipline, allowing MBS to act with impunity. He dismembered a citizen inside his own country’s consulate in a foreign land and learned nothing from the experience.
Justice, in its truest form, stems from a constitution and public oversight that corrects a leader’s political behavior, critiques their mistakes, and praises their righteous actions. In MBS’s case, no one dares to question him.
Thus, his errors multiply, his enemies increase, and he enters a stage of psychological torment and conflicts where reality and fantasy blur. He may begin to see everyone as an enemy, a natural consequence of criminal behavior, where the sense of security and trust in others erodes into suspicion, fear, and doubt. Even the simple act of eating becomes a source of unease.
