Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Musa'id bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was the twelfth son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He was a businessman and the father of Faisal bin Musaid, the assassin of his half-brother King Faisal.
Early life
Musa'id was born in 1923. His father was King Abdulaziz and his mother was Jawhara bint Saad bin Abdul Muhsin Al Sudairi. Before marrying King Abdulaziz, Jawhara had been married to his full brother Sa'ad bin Abdul Rahman until the latter's death in the Battle of Kanzan in 1915. After Jawhara's death, her sister Haya also married Abdulaziz. She was the mother of Prince Badr, Prince Abdul Majid and Prince Abdul Illah.Musa'id had two full brothers, Prince Saad and Prince Abdul Muhsin, and one full sister, Princess Al Bandari.
Personal life
Following the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia, Musa'id and his brothers began to live in several European cities, including Paris and London. During this period, Musa'id was caught in an inappropriate manner in Paris and was immediately sent back to Saudi Arabia. His father, King Abdulaziz, confined Musa'id to the palace which aggravated their relations, decreasing the latter's potential prospects to rule the country.Musa'id married Watfa, a daughter of Muhammad bin Talal, the 12th Rashidi emir. Their son Faisal bin Musaid was born in Riyadh on 4 April 1944. He subsequently divorced Watfa. His sons and daughters by Watfa were much closer to their maternal Rashidi relatives than their paternal relatives, Al Sauds.
In 1965, Musa'id son Khaled, who was a fervent Wahhabite, was killed during a Riyadh protest against the introduction of television in Saudi Arabia. The details of his death are disputed. Some reports allege that he died resisting arrest outside his own home. No investigation over his death was ever initiated.
Musa'id had another son, Bandar, and a daughter, Al Jawhara. Prince Bandar became a member of the Allegiance Council in May 2014. He also had another son Abdul Rahman bin Musaid from a subsequent marriage. Abdullah bin Musa'id, another son, is a businessman and the owner of Sheffield United.
Assassination of King Faisal
On 25 March 1975 Musa'id's son Faisal went to the Royal Palace in Riyadh, where King Faisal was holding a majlis. He joined a Kuwaiti delegation and lined up to meet the king. The king recognized his nephew and bent his head forward, so that the younger Faisal could kiss the king's head in a sign of respect. The prince took out a revolver from his robe and shot the King twice in the head. His third shot missed and he threw the gun away. King Faisal fell to the floor. Bodyguards with swords and submachine guns arrested the prince. The king was quickly rushed to a hospital but doctors failed to save him.Initial reports described Prince Faisal as "mentally deranged." He was moved to a Riyadh prison. He was deemed sane to be tried. He was found guilty of murder. Hours after the verdict, he was publicly decapitated in Riyadh. The assassin's brother Bandar was also imprisoned, but was released a year later.