Now, Riyadh says Prince Abdul Aziz is not dead in purge crackdown

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, the son of the late Saudi King Fahd's eldest surviving son, is not dead, Saudi Arabia's government was quoted as saying in an Agence France Presse report.

"There is no truth whatsoever to rumours circulating in media concerning Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd," an information ministry spokesman said in a statement...Prince Abdulaziz is alive and well," the news agency quoted a spokersperson for Saudi Arabia's information ministry as saying.

However, AFP added that it couldn't reach Abdul Aziz bin Fahd for a quote or a statement.

Reports had earlier said Abdul Aziz had died, hours after the the death of Mansour Bin Muqrin, son of former crown prince Muqrin al-Saud.

Mansour Bin Muqrin's death came after Saudi Arabia arrested nearly a dozen princes, and several other former and current officials. These arrests were billed as a crackdown on corruption but were widely seen as a purge of potential rivals and critics of Crown Prince Mohammed.

Abdul Aziz is confirmed dead. He was 44 years old. Earlier, Mansour son of the former crown prince Muqrin was also declared dead. https://t.co/IsUyU896o4- Ali H. Soufan (@Ali_H_Soufan) November 5, 2017

Another #Saudi Prince, Abdul Aziz, youngest son of late King Fahd, has died. Thats two #Saudi Princes in 24 hours. https://t.co/TNlf6Slzf8- Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) November 6, 2017

These tweets, posted on verified Twitter accounts belonging to a former FBI special agent and a geostrategic consulting agency based in Washington, still haven't been taken down.

After the reported death of Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, another prince, Turki bin Mohamed bin Fahd, fled Saudi Arabia - reportedly to Iran.

(Inputs from AP)