Mohammad bin Salman attends a swearing-in ceremony naming him the country's new prime minister, at the al-Salam royal palace in Jeddah on Sept. 27, 2022. (Credit: AFP)
A New York Times report published on Tuesday sparked a wave of backlash after revealing a framed photograph of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman displayed inside the New York City mansion of convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who was found hanging dead in his prison cell in New York in 2019, UK-based Middle East Eye (MEE) reports.
Following the reveal of the image, many users launched a wave of criticism on social media, with some expressing their lack of surprise. The news website writes that "one mentioned another photograph of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) with George Nader, another convicted criminal and serial pedophile."
'Do you now understand why Arab rulers kneel to Netanyahu and the Mossad?'
Some even connected the scandal to Saudi Arabia’s silence towards the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, which has left more than 60,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023. The criticism further escalated as people connected the image to "long-standing allegations of Gulf-Israeli collaboration," according to MEE. Sam Youssef, author and editor of American and International Affairs, asked: “Do you now understand why Arab rulers kneel to Netanyahu and the Mossad?”
While many expressed disbelief over MBS’ apparent proximity to Epstein, the relationship between the two men was revealed years ago, MME underlines. In 2018, one year before his death, Epstein highlighted his ties with the crown prince during an interview with The New York Times, according to the news site.
According to the report, the crown prince was not the only high-profile figure whose image was exposed from inside Epstein’s mansion. Framed photos of U.S. President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Pope John Paul II, Mick Jagger, Elon Musk, Fidel Castro, CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem from the United Arab Emirates and former prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani were also in his home.
In 2019, Epstein was found hanging dead in his New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida.
Epstein's ties to powerful figures, including actual U.S. President Trump and some of his predecessors as well as royalty and billionaires, continue to spark speculation about the true reach of his network, while some believe he was killed in an effort to cover up the scandal. President Trump has been struggling lately to quell a stir over the handling of the explosive case, notably among the Republican's own supporters.
