In a series of arrests of high-profile princes, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has once more shown he will brook no royal challengers . Four senior princes — Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, a former crown prince; his brother, Prince Nawaf bin Nayef; Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the 78-year-old brother of King Salman; and Prince Nayef bin Ahmed, Prince Ahmed's son and former head of army intelligence — were arrested over the weekend by Saudi security forces. Dozens of other lower-level officials were detained as well. Some news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, have reported that some princes may soon be released. An Ever-Tighter Grip The crackdown was the most prominent one since November 2017 when dozens of high-level princes and business leaders were arrested during a purported anti-corruption operation and held for a prolonged period in the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh.