Hariri 'Not Kidnapped' in KSA, Says MBS Humorously

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday commented sarcastically on reports suggesting that Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri had been held against his will in Saudi Arabia last year.

“PM-designate Hariri will stay in Saudi Arabia for two days, so I hope there won't be rumors that he's kidnapped,” MBS quipped in remarks to an investment conference in Riyadh, flanked by Hariri and Bahrain's crown prince.

The audience at the Future Investment Initiative laughed and applauded.

Hariri has maintained good relations with Saudi Arabia despite the crisis that erupted following his bizarre resignation from Riyadh last year.

The PM-designate has repeatedly denied that he was “detained” in Saudi Arabia, stressing that what happened is "a page turned."

Saudi Arabia for its part has slammed as “incorrect” remarks made by French President Emmanuel Macron that Hariri had been detained in Riyadh back in November.

Hariri “was held in Saudi Arabia for several weeks,” Macron told BFM TV in May, boasting that his country had prevented “a war in Lebanon.”