Prince Turki's resignation was unexpected since his term had been extended on 24 May 2001 for another four years. He was replaced by Nawaf bin Abdul Aziz in the post who had "no background in intelligence whatsoever."[Agence France-Presse, 31 August 2001; Wall Street Journal, 22 October 2001; Seattle Times, 29 October 2001] The New York Times later reports: "The timing of Turki’s removal—August 31—and his Taliban connection raise the question: Did the Saudi regime know that bin Laden was planning his attack against the US?"
