Relentless campaign against Al-Qaeda gets crown prince Time honor

JEDDAH: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif has been named as one of the “100 Most Influential People” by Time magazine.
Writing about the crown prince in the magazine’s special edition, former US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said: “He plays an indispensable role protecting the Kingdom founded by his grandfather. He decimated Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, penetrating plots, cracking down on funding and promoting deradicalization.
“In 2009 he came to my office at Langley and described his encounter with a young extremist who had offered to renounce radicalism and turn himself in. Instead, the terrorist detonated a suicide bomb. Seated just inches from him, the crown prince walked away with only a few small cuts.
“Today he shoulders one of the heaviest burdens in the Middle East: Defending his country amid a rising tide of threats from Daesh, Al-Qaeda and a resurgent Iran.”