Saudi prince slams Obama Over ‘free riders’ comment

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki Al Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has launched a stinging attack on the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama.

In a 615-word open letter published in local media, the former ambassador to the United States slammed the President for labelling Saudi Arabia as “free riders” during a series of interviews with The Atlantic magazine.

Obama is reported as saying that a number of American allies in the Gulf and in Europe are “free riders” who are keen to draw the United States into regional conflicts that sometimes have little to do with American interests.