Prince Mohammed bin Saud, Former Saudi Defense Chief, Dies at 78 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Prince Mohammed bin Saud, a former Saudi defense minister, died on Sunday. The Saudi Press Agency announced his death but gave no other details. Prince Mohammed was not in line for the Saudi throne but wielded influence as part of a council of royal family members that helps select the heirs to rule the country. He served as defense minister in the early 1960s and managed to remain an important political figure after his father, King Saud, was forced from the throne in 1964. He was also governor of Al Bahah Province in southwestern Saudi Arabia from 1986 to 2010. His death came less than a month after the death of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the Saudi interior minister.