Saudi King Abdullah passes away at 90

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has passed away, the Royal Court said in a statement early on Friday.

“With great sorrow and grief His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1 a.m. this morning,” the Saudi Royal court statement said.

Funeral prayers will be held later in the day following afternoon prayers at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in the capital, Riyadh, the statement added.

Another statement said that Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received the pledge of allegiance as the country's king from members of the royal family.

Many world leaders have issued statements of condolences and are rescheduling their plans to attend his funeral.

US President Barack Obama on Thursday paid tribute to late Saudi King Abdullah as a bold leader and valued friend who made an enduring contribution to Middle East peace. "As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions," Obama said in a written statement soon after the royal court announced the king's death.

King Abdullah II of Jordan and other Middle Eastern dignitaries left the Davos World Economic Forum on Friday, flying home early on news of the death of the Saudi King Abdullah, event organisers told AFP.
Spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the Secretary General “pays tribute to King Abdullah's efforts to address regional and international challenges at a time of turmoil and rapid change, and to promote dialogue among the world's faiths. As the driving force behind the Arab Peace Initiative, King Abdullah left a tangible legacy that can still point the way toward peace in the Middle East.”

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi said: "The Saudi kingdom and the Arab nation have lost a leader of its best sons." Bahrain, Jordan and the Palestinian territories declared days of mourning