Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah dies at 90

Throngs of
mourners
gathered in
Mecca early
Friday just
hours after
Saudi
Arabia’s King
Abdullah bin
Abdulaziz al
Saud died.
He was 90.
Prince
Salman bin
Abdulaziz
was
appointed as
the new
king, state
television
reported.​
The
announcement
of Abdullah’s
death comes
several
weeks
after the
state-run
Saudi Press
Agency said
he was
suffering
from
pneumonia
and had
been
admitted to
the hospital.
Services will
be held
Friday
afternoon at
the Imam
Turki Bin
Abdullah
Grand
Mosque in
Riyadh, and
many world
leaders are
likely to pay
their
respects.
Jordan’s
King
Abdullah cut
short his
visit to
Davos, and is
heading to
Riyadh,
according to
a Jordanian
government
source.
“King
Abdullah’s
life spanned
from before
the birth of
modern
Saudi Arabia
through its
emergence
as a critical
force within
the global
economy
and a leader
among Arab
and Islamic
nations,” U.S.
President
Barack
Obama said
in a
statement.
“As our
countries
worked
together to
confront
many
challenges, I
always
valued King
Abdullah’s
perspective
and
appreciated
our genuine
and warm
friendship.
As a leader,
he was
always
candid and
had the
courage of
his
convictions.”