Amid the flashing of cameras, Sultan's sons and brothers carried his corpse, swathed in a brown shroud, on a bier through a throng of mourners in Riyadh's sprawling Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque for funeral prayers before burial.
The body of Sultan, who died of colon cancer in New York on Saturday, was flown back to Riyadh on Monday, accompanied by his younger brother and Riyadh Governor Prince Salman, who may now play a more prominent role in the conservative Islamic kingdom.
Among the mourners who went forward to greet King Abdullah after the prayer recital was Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, whose country is a regional rival of Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month Tehran was accused of backing a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington, soon after Riyadh had blamed armed protests among its Shi'ite minority on an unnamed foreign power – a coded reference to Iran.
The Royal Court said it would be open to accept condolences for three days from Tuesday. A U.S. delegation headed by Vice President Joe Biden is expected in Riyadh on Thursday. » | Tuesday, October 25, 2011
