Al-Humaidan: Saudi's New Spy Chief From Outside House Of Saud

King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia on Thursday relieved intelligence chief Khaled bin Bandar from his post, replacing him with Khaled bin Ali al-Humaidan.



Al-Humaidan, who served as deputy head of the police criminal investigation division, will succeed bin Bandar, who was appointed to the post by late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz last summer.



Khaled bin Bandar had replaced Youssef bin Ali al-Idrisi, who was named intelligence chief last April after Bandar bin Sultan was relieved of the post at his own request, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent.



Information on the country's new spy chief is scarce, but he is said to have been nominated for the position by Interior Minister Mohamed bin Nayef, who was named deputy crown prince following King Salman's ascension to the throne last week.



Khaled bin Ali al-Humaidan was born in the northern Saudi city of Hail in 1955. He studied criminal justice at Saginaw Valley State University in the U.S.



He joined the Saudi military in 1982. He worked in the security field until becoming deputy head of the criminal investigation division in 2011, at which point he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General.



On Thursday, al-Humaidan was appointed head of intelligence – via royal decree – with the rank of minister. He was also made a member of Saudi Arabia's Political and Security Affairs Council.



The appointment makes al-Humaidan the fourth person to hold the sensitive post within one year, and the first person from outside the House of Saud to hold the position since 1977.



While Youssef bin Ali al-Idrisi – who was also not a member of the ruling family – was "tasked" with managing the intelligence body from April 15 to July 1 of 2014, he was never formally appointed to the position.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Riyad