Saudi King Abdullah names half brother Salman as crown prince

The monarch appointed Salman as the "crown prince and deputy prime minister" while keeping him on as defense minister, state television Al-Ekhbariyah reported on Monday.

The decision comes after the death Of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz, the half brother of Saudi King Abdullah on Saturday.

The 79-year-old Nayef, who was also the long-serving interior minister of Saudi Arabia, recently left the kingdom for medical treatment and was seen in Switzerland a few days ago.

This is while the 88-year old ailing king himself who has been in power since 2005 has been admitted to an intensive care unit in a hospital.

Salman, 76, became defense minister in October following the death of Sultan, the then crown prince and long-serving defense and aviation minister.

Meanwhile, Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz would replace Nayef as interior minister.

Tensions have been on the rise in the royal family over who will succeed the king when he dies. It seems that the royal family is deeply split as the several thousand princes and princesses are setting up their own coalitions.