Former Saudi spymaster seeks U.S. help for his jailed children

Former Saudi intelligence official Saad al-Jabri (R) poses with his son Omar al-Jabri whilst visiting schools around Boston, U.S. in this handout picture shot in the autumn of 2016. Khalid al-Jabri/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former top Saudi intelligence official who is living in exile accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday of targeting him, and made an unprecedented public plea to the Biden administration to help obtain the release of his children jailed in Saudi Arabia.

Saad al-Jabri was long an aide to another Saudi royal, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, whom bin Salman, or MbS, ousted as heir to the throne in a 2017 palace coup. MbS is now de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and a U.S. ally.