Saad bin Khalid Al Jabry

Al-Jabri's father died when he was a boy in Ha'il. To support his family, he attended a police academy then worked as a police officer in Taif.[1]

Al-Jabri obtained a Bachelor's degree in Security Sciences from King Fahd Security College in Riyadh, then he obtained a BA in Arabic Language and Literature from Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, and a diploma in Computer Programming from the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh. He also obtained a master's degree in computer science from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in the late 1980s, then he obtained a doctorate in artificial intelligence from the University of Edinburgh in 1997.[1]

He is married to Nadyah and they have six sons and two daughters.[3]

After completing his doctoral studies al-Jabri went, at the behest of then-Minister of Interior Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to work within the Ministry of Interior (Saudi Arabia), where he taught at the King Fahd Security College.[1]

Over the following two decades al-Jabri became an ally and key adviser to Muhammad bin Nayef. He was a mainstay link between Saudi Arabia and western intelligence agencies, including the Five Eyes alliance, and was credited with helping bin Nayef transform and modernise the Saudi security services and their counter-terrorism methods.[2]

By 2003, al-Jabri was Chief of Staff to bin Nayef and following the Riyadh compound bombings their focus shifted to Al-Qaeda. Changes to counter-terrorism methods were introduced including rehabilitation programs and closer information sharing with western intelligence agencies. It is claimed the reforms were instrumental in the foiling of the 2010 transatlantic aircraft bomb plot.[2][1]

In July 2015, and with the agreement of then-Minister of Interior and Crown Prince bin Nayef, al-Jabri attended meetings with then-CIA Director John Brennan at CIA headquarters and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in London. The following month he visited the White House to discuss the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen. Despite briefing the royal court upon his return it is claimed that Mohammed bin Salman felt al-Jabri was "plotting" with bin Nayef against him. He was dismissed from his government roles on 10 September 2015.[4][1]

After his dismissal from government, al-Jabri continued advising Mohammed bin Nayef in a personal capacity until he departed Saudi Arabia, 17 May 2017. He remained abroad following the ousting of Muhammad bin Nayef as Crown Prince the following month and later took refuge in Canada.[1][4] Thomas Juneau, an associate professor at the University of Ottawa, stated that al-Jabri and other Saudis who had fled the kingdom were justifiably concerned about their safety. Bruce Riedel, a former CIA analyst and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project, explained why al-Jabri kept a low profile after arriving in Canada: "I think he's scared. Wouldn't you be?"[5]

On 16 March 2020 two of his children, Sarah and Omar, who were already barred from leaving the Kingdom, [6] were detained by Saudi security officers. Their elder brother Khalid al-Jabri believes that they are to be used as bargaining chips to force their father to return to Saudi Arabia.[2] Nether Sarah or Omar have been heard from since they were taken and their current whereabouts are unknown.[3] In May 2020, al-Jabri's brother, Abdulrahman, was also detained.[7][8]