Robert Evans

CIA Director George Tenet flew to the Saudi capital and warned the crown prince, al-Qaeda is going to target your family next.

Just a few months later, Mohammed bin Nayef has made the number two man in the entire Ministry of the Interior.

It was a vote of confidence in his ability to orchestrate the kingdom's response to al-Qaeda and to effectively reform its security and intelligence agencies.

Tennant would later write that the CIA considered Mohammed bin Nayef its number one man in Saudi Arabia.

Rydell writes, MBN led the counteroffensive.

The Interior Ministry issued lists of the most wanted al-Qaeda terrorists and then proceeded to hunt them down ruthlessly.

Whenever any of the men on a list were eliminated in firefights or ambushes, the ministry would update the list with the names of the next most wanted al-Qaeda fighters.

It was a tough and dangerous time.

Most foreigners who could leave the kingdom did so, or at least sent their families away.

MBN was the face of the Saudi war on al-Qaeda, appearing on television and in the newspapers to explain the threat the kingdom was facing.

So he becomes the figure who is leading the Saudi war effort against al-Qaeda.

He's both in propaganda, his face is everywhere, and the West sees him as the guy who's very successfully orchestrating this response to al-Qaeda violence in the country.

And within the royal family, he's seen as the guy who is protecting us from this surge of violence, from this dangerous and unpredictable network.

He's really, if you're looking at who's going to follow

As like, who's going to be of this generation, like the guy who's in line to be king?

Mohammed bin Nayef is looking like someone who might be crown prince and then king one day, right?

Like he's really distinguished himself, far more than bin Salman has, who's really nothing at this point in time, right?

Right, yeah.

He's going to fist fight bin Laden and make himself the king.

Yeah.