Turki Al-Faisal
Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, commonly known as Turki Al-Faisal, is a Saudi prince and former government official who served as head of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Presidency from 1979 to 2001.
He is a grandson of Saudi Arabia's founder King Abdulaziz and son of King Faisal. He is chairman of the King Faisal Foundation's Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
From 1979 to 2001, Prince Turki was director general of Al Mukhabarat Al 'Ammah, Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency, resigning from the position on 1 September 2001, ten days before the September 11 attacks in which 15 Saudi nationals hijacked commercial American airliners.
Prince Turki subsequently served as ambassador to the Court of St. James's and the United States.
Early life and education
Prince Turki was born on 15 February 1945 in Mecca. He is the seventh child and youngest son of King Faisal and Iffat bint Mohammad Al Thunayan. His mother was born to a Turkish mother and an Arab father. He is a full-brother of Sara bint Faisal, Mohammed bin Faisal, Latifa bint Faisal, Saud bin Faisal, Abdul Rahman bin Faisal, Bandar bin Faisal, Luluwah bint Faisal and Haifa bint Faisal. In May 1978, Time magazine reported that Prince Turki was the favorite son of Princess Iffat.Turki bin Faisal received his primary and some secondary education at a school in Taif which was built by his parents. When he was fourteen, his father sent him to Lawrenceville, New Jersey to complete his secondary education at the Lawrenceville School from which he graduated in 1963. He graduated in the class of 1968 of Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Turki also did further studies at Princeton, Cambridge, and the University of London where he took courses in Islamic law and jurisprudence.
Career
After returning to the Kingdom, Turki was appointed an adviser in the Royal Court in 1973.Director of Saudi Arabia General Intelligence Directorate
Prince Turki began his political career as deputy to his uncle, Kamal Adham, and then, his successor as the head of Al Mukhabarat Al A'amah, a position he held for 23 years—from 1979 until just 10 days before the September 11 attacks in 2001. He took part in organizing a military operation to remove the hostage-taking terrorists from Masjid al-Haram in Mecca during the Grand Mosque Seizure in November 1979.Turki claimed that in the months before the September 11 attacks, his intelligence agency knew that something alarming was being planned: "In the summer of 2001, I took one of the warnings about something spectacular about to happen to the Americans, British, French, and Arabs. We didn't know where, but we knew that something was being brewed."
Prince Turki's resignation was unexpected since his term had been extended on 24 May 2001 for another four years. He was replaced by Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz in the post who had "no background in intelligence whatsoever." The New York Times later reports: "The timing of Turki's removal—August 31—and his Taliban connection raise the question: Did the Saudi regime know that bin Laden was planning his attack against the US?"
After King Fahd's stroke in 1995, Prince Turki had a minor disagreement with Prince Abdullah who did not want to be briefed by him.
Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda
Saudi intelligence joined Pakistan's intelligence service and the CIA in funding the mujahideen fighters in Afghanistan. Turki last met with Osama bin Laden in early 1990 when Osama bin Laden was interested in aiding against the South Yemen communists. His intelligence agency kept careful track of bin Laden from the beginning of his rise.In 1993, Turki helped mediate between warring factions in Afghanistan. In early 1996, Sudan offered to extradite bin Laden to Saudi Arabia. Clinton called on Turki to bring bin Laden back to Saudi Arabia for a quick execution. Saudi Arabia denied the request and Osama left Sudan for Afghanistan.
A continued connection to bin Laden was falsely claimed by Paris Match magazine. In December 2004, Turki accepted substantial libel damages and an apology from Paris Match over claims he himself was linked to the 11 September attacks.
In 2002, Prince Turki was named in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit by the families of 11 September victims, alleging that he and other Saudi princes, banks, and charities may have funded the terrorists involved in the attack. His involvement was also strongly implied in the Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 911. A reporter for the Baltimore Chronicle claimed he was flown out of the United States shortly after the terrorist attacks, but the claim disappeared from later versions of the article. Prince Turki described Fahrenheit 911 as "grossly unfair" to Saudis.
Prince Turki maintains that he had no contact with bin Laden since Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. He claims to have secretly negotiated with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar in 1998 in an attempt to have bin Laden extradited to Saudi Arabia, but the negotiations were unsuccessful. In a November 2001 interview, Turki expressed support for the US operation in Afghanistan against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. In 2005, a US federal judge ruled that Saudi officials including Turki were immune from the lawsuit. Turki has severely criticized al-Qaeda, calling it an "evil cult."
However, the allegations continue to dog Turki, with a court affidavit filed on 3 February 2015, claiming that Zacarias Moussaoui served as a courier between bin Laden and Turki in the late 1990s, long after Turki claims to have broken off his relationship with bin Laden. The Saudi government continues to deny any involvement claiming that there is no evidence to support Moussaoui's allegations due to the fact that Moussaoui's own lawyers presented evidence of his mental incompetence during his trial.
Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Prince Turki was appointed ambassador to the Court of Saint James's in London, and to Ireland, from January 2003. He served as ambassador until 2005 and was well respected by British diplomats.Ambassador to the United States
In July 2005, it was announced that Prince Turki would succeed Bandar bin Sultan as Saudi ambassador to the United States. He served as ambassador to the United States from July 2005 until 11 December 2006. Adel al-Jubeir succeeded him as ambassador to the United States.Prince Turki spent much of his time as ambassador to the United States traveling around the country, visiting 37 states. Turki advocated that the United States engage in direct talks with Iran but other high-ranking Saudi officials, including Turki's predecessor as ambassador, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, supported military action to halt Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program.
He argued that the Palestinian-Israeli issue, not Iran, was more important for the United States and called on the Bush Administration to revive the peace process. He also argued that diplomacy with Iran was the best way to prevent problems. The Administration disliked his stance and made it difficult for him to arrange visits to the White House. The White House preferred Bandar's more aggressive approach and welcomed Bandar instead.
Resignation
Prince Bandar's visits to the White House undermined Prince Turki and Prince Turki's goal of engaging in public diplomacy was weakened because of a shortage of money to fund the embassy and his public relations program. On the other hand, there were internal disputes over Saudi Arabia's Iraq policy, leading to tensions between Prince Turki and senior members of the royal family.Turki was angered by the fact that when his own king had asked then Vice President Dick Cheney to meet at short notice in Riyadh, Turki was not invited to attend – an unusual omission for Saudi summit meetings. In addition, Turki's brother Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal did not write the post-summit briefing for Turki; Bandar did.
King Abdullah is reported to have preferred Bandar bin Sultan as the King's intermediary between Riyadh and Washington D.C. Turki's resignation may have been in protest. He abruptly resigned in early December 2006 after 15 months as an ambassador. His predecessor, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, worked in the same post for 22 years. Prince Turki returned in January 2007 after the Hajj Pilgrimage to formally announce his departure. Some analysts claim he intentionally attracted attention. He said he wanted to spend time with family. His resignation was initially reported by The Washington Post, not by the royal court or official sources. Turki retired from public office in February 2007.
King Faisal Foundation and King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies
Shortly after the passing of King Faisal, Prince Turki and his siblings established the King Faisal Foundation to invest in education in Saudi Arabia.As chairman of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, Prince Turki compared energy independence in American politics to baby-kissing. He stated that American politicians must be courageous against demagoguery. He lauded his country's efforts in education and believes that Saudis can succeed only through education. He visited India in December 2011.