King Faisal Assassinated: A Shocking End to Saudi Rule
His nephew kissed his hand in the traditional greeting, then pulled out a .38 revolver. King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot three times in the royal palace—by Prince Faisal bin Musaid, who'd been living in Boulder, Colorado, nursing grievances about his brother's death during anti-television riots a decade earlier. The king who'd just used oil as a weapon to reshape global politics, who'd imposed the 1973 embargo that sent shockwaves through Western economies, died within minutes. His nephew's motive? Probably personal revenge mixed with untreated mental illness, not political ideology. The assassination didn't destabilize the kingdom or reverse oil policy—the royal family's succession plan held firm. Sometimes the most consequential leaders fall to the most ordinary human chaos.
March 25, 1975
51 years ago
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