King Abdullah Dies ; Prince Salman is New King

 

The ruler of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, passed away on Friday, 23 January, 2015, at 1 am. He was 90 years old at the time of his death.

The local Saudi TV stopped the transmission and replaced with recitation of Quranic verses before making the announcement.

He is replaced by his half-brother, Prince Salman who is the new King of Saudi Arabia. Prince Salman, is now 79 years old and had been the governor of Riyadh Province for nearly 50 years.

The TV released a statement as follows : “His Royal Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1 a.m. this morning”