RIYADH: Saudi authorities have detained three princes, including King Salman’s brother and nephew, for allegedly plotting a coup, three sources told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday, signaling the de facto ruler’s tightening grip on power.

The detentions, which cast aside the last vestiges of potential opposition to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, come at a sensitive time as the petro-state grapples with plunging oil prices and limits access to Islam’s holiest sites over fears of the new coronavirus.