Fahd's half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, who has been the defacto ruler for almost a decade, will take the place of king as expected. The statement issued on state television addressed this issue: "Members of the family have pledged allegience to Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz as king over the country," it said.
Fahd, who is believed to have been 84 years old when he died, took rule over the oil-rich kingdom in 1982 and guided the country through a turbulent era in Saudi's history – two Gulf wars and Islamic extremism. Ninety civilian lives, 42 security personnel and 113 militants have been died in the last two years, according to officials.
