Today in History

Today in History

1975

King Faisal Assassinated

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Faisal was shot to death by his nephew, Prince Faisal.

King Faisal, son of King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, fought in the military campaigns in the 1920s and ’30s that helped forge modern Saudi Arabia.

He later served as Saudi ambassador to the United Nations and in 1953 was made premier upon the ascension of his older brother, Saud.

In 1964, King Saud was pressured to abdicate, and Faisal became the absolute ruler of Saudi Arabia.

As king, he sought to modernize his nation, and lent financial and moral support to anti-Israeli efforts in the Middle East.

In 1975, Faisal was assassinated for reasons that remain obscure, although it was rumored that his nephew held a grievance against his uncle because of a slight he felt was directed toward his father.

Soon after his uncle's assassination, Prince Faisal was executed for his crime against his uncle.

Upon the death of King Faisal, his brother, Crown Prince Khalid, ascended to the throne of the desert kingdom.