RIYADH // Saudi King Abdullah has named his half-brother Prince Salman as heir to the throne following the death of Crown Prince Nayef, state television Al Ekhbariyah reported.
The monarch appointed Prince Salman "crown prince and deputy prime minister" while also keeping him on as defence minister, it said, adding that Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz would take over from Prince Nayef as interior minister.
Prince Salman, 76, became defence minister in October following the death of Sultan, the then crown prince and long-serving defence and aviation minister, while Prince Nayef was named heir to the throne.
It was the first ministerial post for Prince Salman who had been the governor of Riyadh since 1962.
Prince Nayef died on Saturday in Switzerland of "cardiac problems," according to a medical source in Geneva.
