Former Saudi FM Saud Al-Faisal Died
Local Editor
Sources in Riyadh disclosed that former Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal has passed away at the age of 75.
A source in the Saudi government, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of his information, said the former Saudi foreign minister last night.
Officials in Riyadh first declined to comment on the revelation, but confirmed the report a few hours after it surfaced the media.
Faisal's death is markedly important as it comes after a hacking group known as the Yemen Cyber Army launched a successful cyberattack on Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry in May and released hundreds of thousands of top secret documents that disclosed the true identity of Riyadh's spies as well as the autocracy's darkest plots staged or underway in different world nation.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry paid heartfelt tribute to Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud al-Faisal, saying he had left a legacy that would live on despite his death Thursday.
Prince Saud was one of the highest profile members of Saudi Arabia's ruling elite and formerly the world's longest-serving foreign minister, overseeing four decades of turbulent diplomacy for the oil-rich kingdom.
Obama described him as a "committed and accomplished diplomat."
Kerry called Prince Saud "a man of vast experience, personal warmth, great dignity and keen insights who served his country loyally and well."
"The longevity of his term in office - he served with 13 US secretaries of state - is a sign of the universal respect with which he was viewed," Kerry said in separate statement from Obama.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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