Saudi Minister Vanishes as His Closest American Friend Arrives in Riyadh

September 28, 2021

By Ali AlAhmed

Washington DC – As the U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk arrives in Riyadh to meet Saudi Strongman, Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman (MBS) alongside National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the fate of his closest friend at the Saudi government, Minister Thamer AlSabhan remains unknown since his disappearance in July of 2020, according to one of his American friends.

The former American official said that AlSabhan’s fate and location has been a mystery since last year and months of attempts to contact him have failed. Several close relatives contacted by this reporter have declined to answer questions about his whereabouts or condition. AlSabhan, who served as a state minister for Arabian Gulf affairs since October 2016, vanished from local news coverage and his Twitter account went silent in July of last year.

AlSabhan, who worked closely with the U.S government and officials on combating ISIS even before he represented the Saudi government, built a large network of American friends during his work, including McGurk and many American generals working in Iraq and Syria as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS.

There is no information if AlSabhan’s case and welfare would be discussed in the meeting between McGurk, Sullivan and MBS scheduled tonight.

AlSabhan was awarded an American Defense Department military award for excellence. He previously received military training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at Glynco Georgia in 1996.

The Saudi government, who had issued public statements regarding other senior officials who were arrested or investigated, has said nothing about AlSabhan’s whereabouts or condition. While there was no information on the cause of AlSabhan’s disappearance, two sources who knew AlSabhan gave two possible reasons. One American source said, the Saudi government believes AlSabhan is an American asset, while a Saudi source said that he is under investigation for corruption.

AlSabhan was appointed as assistant military attaché in Lebanon in 2010, then attaché in 2013 before his appointment as Saudi Ambassador to Iraq in June 2015. He was forced out after Iraqi factions in 2016 over his alleged interference in Iraq’s domestic affairs. According to Iraqi Academic Dr. Jasem AlHariri, AlSabhan was involved in inflaming sectarianism, especially during a sensitive time when Iraq was fighting against the terrorist group ISIS.

After his expulsion from Iraq, AlSabhan was appointed a state minister for Arabian Gulf Affairs, a post that gave him greater power. In 2017, AlSabhan traveled to Northern Syria with Brett McGurk to support American-backed Kurdish YPG, which is ruling over parts of Northern Syria.

Following McGurk’s resignation, AlSabhan returned to Syria in 2019 with Trump loyalist Joel Rayburn, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Levant Affairs and Special Envoy for Syria. McGurk was not available to comment and messages to him were unreturned.

AlSabhan worked as a security detail for American General Norman Schwarzkopf during the Desert Storm-Gulf War in 90-91, and for American secretaries of defense Dick Cheney, Colin Powell and other senior American and English military officers.

AlSabhan was a military officer who worked in Saudi military police and protection units since his graduation from King AbdulAziz Military Academy in 1988. AlSabhan family, which hails from the Shammar tribe, is related to the Saudi ruling family by marriage as well.