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Bandar bin Sultan (Arabic: الأمير بندر بن سلطان بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود) (born 1949) is a member of the House of Saud and was Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States from 1983 to 2005. In 2005, he was named as Secretary General of the National Security Council. He was appointed Director General of the Saudi Intelligence Agency by King Abdullah on 19 July 2012.
Disappearance and rumors
Bandar's last major public appearance before his return to the Kingdom was on 10 December 2008 in a meeting with King Abdullah...
...After King Abdullah renewed his post for another 4-year term in September 2009, he did not provide the customary public allegiance to the King...
...Some rumors alleged that his coup was exposed by Russian intelligence services because of his frequent trips to Moscow to encourage cooperation against Iran...
...In July 2012, the rumors of his assassination were reported in Press TV and Tehran Times. This news was denied by Arab News and journalist David Ignatius...
8/3/2012 at 09:37:39 by Saman Mohammadi
On Sunday, July 29, Voltaire Network reported that Prince Bandar bin Sultan is dead. He served as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington from 1983 to 2005, and was just recently promoted to the head of Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency. Apparently, he was killed from injuries suffered in a bomb blast on July 26.
Voltaire Network explains that the attack was orchestrated by the government of Syria as an act of retaliation for the bombing of high-level Syrian generals in Damascus on July 18 that was overseen directly by Prince Bandar, who is also known as Bandar Bush.
Syrian Rebels Land Deadly Blow to Assad’s Inner Circle
BEIRUT, Lebanon — The killing on Wednesday of President Bashar al-Assad’s key security aides in a brazen bombing attack, close to Mr. Assad’s own residence, called into question the ability of a government that depends on an insular group of loyalists to function effectively as it battles a strengthening opposition.
Editorial: Assassination in Damascus (July 19, 2012)
Taking Note: The Old Russia (July 18, 2012)
The strike dealt a potent blow to the government, as much for where it took place as for the individuals who were targeted: the very cabinet ministers and intelligence chiefs who have coordinated the government’s iron-fisted approach to the uprising. The defense minister and the president’s brother-in-law were both killed, and others were seriously wounded.
By the CNN Wire Staff
October 11, 2012 -- Updated 1343 GMT (2143 HKT)
CNN reported in May that the United States sent troops to Jordan for a training exercise called Eager Lion. The troops are part of a joint special operations group of about 150 that has been in and out of Jordan regularly.
U.S. special forces have, since April, been working on a variety of potential scenarios in Jordan including border protection, securing chemical weapons in Syria, and debriefing defectors, CNN's Barbara Starr has reported. The group is also offering advice on humanitarian relief and corridors.
Details Hint at Insider Role in Lebanese General’s Death
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 23, 2012
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — New details about the assassination of a top intelligence official suggested that it might have been an inside job, fueling at least some accusations by political opponents of the Hezbollah-led government that Hezbollah, a militant Shiite group, had played a role in the killing.
OBITUARIES : OMAR SULEIMAN, 1936 - 2012
Former head of Egyptian intelligence
CAIRO — Omar Suleiman, Egypt's former spymaster and a confidant of deposed leader Hosni Mubarak, died Thursday in a U.S. hospital, months after his unsuccessful presidential bid to restore the old guard to power after a national revolution, state media reported. He was 76.
There were conflicting reports about the cause of death. The Egyptian Embassy in Washington said Suleiman died of a blood illness, according to the Ahram Online news website. The state news agency MENA reported that he died of a heart attack while undergoing tests in a Cleveland hospital. He had suffered from heart and lung ailments.