Saudi King Abdullah appointed on Saturday his younger half-brother as head of intelligence services in the oil-rich kingdom which has been battling Islamist violence.
"Prince Meqrin bin Abdulaziz has been appointed as the president of the General Intelligence at the rank of a minister," said a royal decree carried by the state news agency SPA.
Meqrin was the governor of Medina. Prince Meqrin replaces 72-year-old Prince Nawaf bin Abdel Aziz who was Saudi Arabia's chief spy until he was relieved of his duties by late King Fahd in January.