Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja was relieved of his post on Wednesday at his request, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported, quoting a royal decree.
Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar was assigned to take over his job, while retaining his current portfolio, the SPA stated.
Earlier in the day, Khoja announced that he had ordered the closure of the Wesal television channel in Riyadh. “I have ordered the offices of Wesal channel in Riyadh closed and to ban any broadcast by it in the Kingdom,” Khoja said on his Twitter account. “This is essentially not a Saudi channel,” he added in a message in Arabic on Tuesday evening, according to reports.
In his Twitter message, Khoja also said Saudi Arabia would not tolerate any news organization that undermined the nation’s unity, stability and security.
In his comment on the Al-Ahsa shooting on Monday, Khoja warned on his Twitter account that these terrorists should be considered enemies of humanity.
He praised the people of Al-Ahsa for standing united in the face of these terrorists. He described the officers who lost their lives to protect the country as martyrs.
He said the Kingdom was an Islamic country and home to all its citizens. “Tolerance is our motto, coexistence is our nature, justice is our flag, and safety is our wealth,” said Khoja on his Twitter account.
He praised the Council of Senior Scholars for their denunciation of the attempts to incite sedition, and security officers for their quick action to capture the terrorists.