Lethal Trajectories - Michael Conley [114]
“Al Jazeera again: You are a powerful member of the royal Saudi government. Did you have inside information that led you to flee the country with your family?”
“No, I had no inkling whatsoever of the coup. If I had, I would have taken my three brothers and four sisters with me. Now I believe them all to be dead, just as I would have been had I stayed in Riyadh a few hours longer. I left to attend a scheduled OPEC meeting, a fact you may confirm with the organization, and, as I often do, I brought my family and a few advisors with me. That’s the truth of the matter.”
“BBC, Your Highness: Given your position, you must have had occasion to come into contact with or know King Mustafa. Could you comment on what kind of person he is?”
“I have known Mustafa since childhood. We played together as children, and I have seen him many times in our adulthood at meetings and family activities. We have also served on a few of the same commissions. He is a brilliant and talented man, but has a ruthless streak barely hidden beneath a veneer of good manners. He has a dark side few people know, and I can personally tell you he is a vile and dangerous man.”
“SNS here, Your Highness: Do you think King Mustafa would detonate the dirty bombs he has planted, if threatened, and consign the Saudi people to economic ruin?”
“There is absolutely no doubt he would do this. Dictators like Mustafa believe the world revolves around them. If they are no longer around, what good is the land or people to them? Why not explode the dirty bombs? He is already killing my countrymen by the thousands in his so-called cleansing operations; murder by economic disaster certainly would not bother him.”
“BBC, Your Highness: Can you comment on King Mustafa’s nuclear arsenal and his willingness to use atomic weapons against others?”
“Like you, I was shocked to learn he had nuclear weapons. I wouldn’t have believed it had he not detonated the demonstration bomb. A nuclear program was never seriously considered in our government, and it is unlikely that a secret nuclear program could have been developed without my knowledge. Therefore, I can only conclude Mustafa purchased nuclear weapons on the black market, along with the services of trained specialists to operate them. Mustafa would most certainly have the contacts and resources to purchase such weapons. I can’t imagine he has a large nuclear arsenal, but then it doesn’t take many atomic bombs to destroy a major city, does it?”
“Al Jazeera: What are your intentions, Prince Khalid, and what do you hope to accomplish from this press conference?”
“I’ll answer your second question first, Al Jazeera. Mustafa’s treachery has put Saudi Arabia, our Arab brothers and sisters, and the global community at grave risk. He has blamed the coup on outside forces and positioned himself as the reluctant leader, picking up the mantle from the fallen king—the king that he assassinated. This is all a blatant lie. He is now cleansing the country of ‘apostates and infidels'—a euphemism for executing all political opponents. He’s threatened our OPEC partners and our neighbors with force and is using the ultimate weapon of mass destruction—oil—to shut down the global economy. He must be stopped. The world must know the truth about this vile man. I am willing to risk my life to denounce Mustafa for the murderous fraud he is.”
“And what are your intentions?” prompted the Al Jazeera reporter.
“I hope to serve as a counterforce to Mustafa’s illegitimate regime. I hope to attract a force of like-minded thinkers and international allies to join in my crusade against this evil tyrant. I also want to say to Mustafa: Your days are numbered.”
The press conference continued for another thirty minutes, but Khalid’s request for willing partners had