On this day: in history (1975), King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was shot point-blank and killed by Faisal bin Musaid, son of his half-brother. King Faisal was quickly taken to a hospital. He was still alive as doctors massaged his heart and gave him a blood transfusion. Their efforts were unsuccessful, and he died shortly afterward.
In 1964, King Faisal forced King Saud to abdicate his throne and Faisal became the absolute ruler of Saudi Arabia. Early in his rule, King Faisal issued an edict that all Saudi princes had to school their children inside the country, rather than sending them abroad; this had the effect of making it popular for upper-class families to bring their sons back to study in the Kingdom. He also issued a decree for the total abolition of slavery in 1962.
One theory for the murder of King Faisal was avenging the death of Prince Khalid bin Musaid, the brother of Prince Faisal bin Musaid. King Faisal instituted secular reforms that led to the installation of television, which provoked violent protests. Prince Khalid led an attack on a television station in 1966, and he was shot dead by a policeman.
According to claims by King Faisal’s family and friends, Prince Faisal bin Musaid had informed his mother Watfa bint Muhammad Al Rashid of his assassination plans. Wafta then informed King Faisal, who said “if it is Allah’s will, then it would happen.” King Faisal also told his own relatives and friends about a dream he had in which his father, the late King Abdulaziz, was traveling in a car and asked him to get in. If a dead person takes a living person in a dream, the living person will most likely die within a short amount of time according to Islamic beliefs.
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Created by Okey Obiabunmo
