Will Saudis in exile suffer the same fate as Jamal Khashoggi?

Former Saudi intelligence official has filed a lawsuit alleging Saudi crown prince sent a hit squad to kill him.

A man with close ties to the Saudi royal family falls out with Crown Prince Mohamed Mohammed bin Salman, goes into exile, and is targeted by a group of hitmen.

It sounds like what happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.

But this is the story of former top Saudi Intelligence official Saad al-Jabri.

He says that not long after Khashoggi's killing, Mohamed Mohammed bin Salman dispatched a group of hitmen, known as the Tiger Squad, to assassinate him.

Saudi crown prince sued over alleged hand in murder plot

The Saudi crown prince is accused of dispatching a group of hitmen to kill a former top Saudi intelligence official - Saad al-Jabari - who is in exile in Canada. The allegation was made in a lawsuit filed by al-Jabari in Washington, DC.

Will Saudi Arabia go nuclear?

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is reported to have nearly finished building its first nuclear reactor.

Last year, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned that "if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit". 

Now, Saudi Arabia is said to be a few months away from completing its first nuclear reactor and some arms control experts are alarmed.

Photos have been published reportedly showing the reactor site in the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology on the outskirts of Riyadh.

Construction is apparently nearly completed around a vessel intended to contain atomic fuel.

What can an investigation into Khashoggi's murder achieve?

A UN-led team is in Turkey to investigate journalist's murder and wants access to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul almost four months ago.

But neither the journalist's body nor remains have been recovered, and the murder case remains unsolved.

Turkey is not satisfied by Saudi Arabia's investigation and wants a full international inquiry.

An independent investigation, led by the UN's special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, is under way.

Will Saudi Arabia execute one of its top clerics?

We talk to the son of cleric Salman al-Awdah and debate the danger of social media with tech pioneer Jaron Lanier.

Saudi cleric's son: 'Everyone is threatened'

Soon after Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, was appointed Saudi crown prince in 2017, prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Salman al-Awdah was arrested, allegedly for his refusal to tweet in support of the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar.

In September 2018, prosecutors applied for him to be sentenced to death.

UpFront speaks with al-Awdah's son, Abdullah Alaoudh, who is based in the United States and is a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University. 

"The charges actually represent how the state would crack down on any different view and on any person who disagrees," says Alaoudh.

Reform in Saudi Arabia: Image versus reality

The jailing of female activists makes the story of reform in the kingdom harder to tell. Plus, political ads in Mexico.

Image vs reality: Spinning the Saudi reform story

Ever since last year's palace coup in Saudi Arabia left Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (also referred to as MBS) in control of every important arm of the state, his promise of reforms, an anti-graft campaign, the opening of cinemas, and the decision to finally lift a ban on female drivers, has had many in the international media putting a new face on the kingdom.

But the recent jailing of women's rights activists and their labelling as traitors with links to foreign powers feels like the same old Saudi Arabia.

So what's behind the crackdown on female activists and what does it mean for Saudi Arabia's image?

Saad Hariri, Saudi power play and the media

Riyadh's Middle East power struggle and the role of the news media. Plus, the challenge of covering Manus Island.

Lebanon's PM and Saudi Arabia's power play

In just two weeks, the new Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salmanhas upended both the domestic and the regional balance of power with a series of moves that have left observers struggling to keep up.

Regional media have reported the resignation of the Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the arrest of dozens of princes and businessmen and the threat of regional conflict through the political positions that they bring to the mix.

International media have also shown their colours by selectively seeing what they want to see in the new prince.

Is the Saudi crown prince a reformist or power-hungry?

Four ministers, 11 princes detained on orders of Mohammed bin Salman in what some see as a suspicious graft crackdown.

The arrests in Saudi Arabia have spurred days of speculation and analysis. There was the element of surprise as the detentions took place on Saturday night without warning.

The element of power - most of those arrested are men of influence - and the element of uncertainty trigger questions on whether the move was about purging corruption or consolidating power?

The man behind it all is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been a figure of controversy for months now.

He is regarded as a progressive leader, touting social and economic reforms.