WATCH ABOVE: One of America’s closest allies in the Middle East has died. Funeral services are now underway for Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah. King Abdullah’s half-brother, Salman, immediately succeeded him. King Abdullah was 90 years old. Susan McGinnis reports.
The 79-year-old half-brother of King Abdullah has been named as the new leader of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following the death of the 90-year-old monarch early Friday.
“His 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,” an official statement read.
READ MORE: Saudi King Abdullah dies at 90, brother Salman to take over
WATCH ABOVE: Funeral held for Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah
Here are five quick facts about the new Saudi king.
He is one of the ‘Sudeiri Seven’
Salman is one of the dozens of sons of Saudi Arabia’s founder, King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud — thought to have had more than 50 sons from multiple wives. Notably, he was one of the so-called “Sudeiri Seven” — seven sons born to one of Abdul-Aziz’s most favored wives, Hussa bint Ahmad Sudeiri.
The seven full-brothers were seen as a center of power within the family. Abdullah’s predecessor, King Fahd, was among the seven, as were Nayef and previous Crown Prince Sultan, who died a year before Nayef. At the age of 70, new Crown Prince Muqrin is the youngest of Abdul-Aziz’s sons.
WATCH ABOVE: Baird and other dignitaries pay tribute to late King Abdullah
His health isn’t that great
The new king has had at least one stroke and doesn’t have the full use of one of his arms and there have been rumours he may have Alzheimer’s disease or some form of dementia, The Economist reported in August 2014.
Foreign Policy noted the family has a long history of poor health and two of his sons died of heart problems — Fahd bin Salman of heart failure at the age of 47, in 2001, and Ahmad bin Salman of a heart attack at the age of 43, in 2002.
He has a long history in government
Born in 1935, King Salman was appointed Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister in 2012, following the death of his older brother Crown Prince Nayef, who died after just one year in the role.
He was appointed defence minister in 2011, after serving as the governor of Riyadh province for nearly 50 years and mayor of the city of Riyadh for nine years prior to that.
His son flew a bombing mission against ISIS
It was under his leadership of the Ministry of Defense and Aviation that Saudi Arabia joined the U.S. coalition against ISIS last fall, providing Saudi fighter jets to launch targets in Syria.
“We are concerned because we have not done enough to protect our nation from extremism, and its youths from militancy and radicalism,” he said in September.
His son, Prince Khalid bin Salman, reportedly flew an F-15 fighter jet on one of the first missions.
He’s been on Twitter for nearly two years
He has had a Twitter account (@HRHPSalman) since March 2013 and has more than 1.16 million followers. His most recent tweet was a picture with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and mention of King Abdullah’s health.
*With files from The Associated Press
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