Today in History

Today in History
1975
King Faisal Assassinated

On this day in 1975, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King Faisal was assassinated by his nephew, Prince Faisal.

King Faisal, son of the founder of Saudi Arabia and its first monarch, King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, fought in the nation's 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 abdicated, 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 because of the secrecy with which the Kingdom conducts its affairs, however it has been speculated that the young prince who murdered his uncle did so to settle a grudge.

It is reported that his own father was not given the rank his son felt was his due so he followed the long-standing method in Saudi Arabia of settling the matter,

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