Photo of Saudi Arabia's crown prince inside Jeffrey Epstein's mansion fuels criticism online

Middle East Eye

3 days ago

The New York Times on Tuesday ignited a wave of backlash after revealing a framed photograph of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman displayed inside the New York City mansion of convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The article, which takes readers inside the late convicted paedophile's seven-storey Manhattan home, features surveillance cameras positioned above his bed and in adjoining rooms, taxidermied animals, and provocative artwork, including a sculpture of a bride clutching a rope suspended from the ceiling in the atrium.
Images from the home of Jeffrey Epstein show cameras in bedrooms and photos of him with:
Donald Trump
Steve Bannon
Bill Clinton
Elon Musk
Larry Summers
Mohammed bin Salman
and more
As well as memorabilia from Ehud Barak, Woody Allen, Bill Gates, and many others.
Gift link 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/1AKKLMmxfB — Leah McElrath (@leahmcelrath) August 5, 2025
The revelation of the crown prince's photograph inside Epstein's mansion has sparked a storm of criticism on social media.
Many social media users expressed their lack of surprise, with one remarking on another photograph of Mohammed bin Salman with George Nader, another convicted criminal and serial paedophile. 'Whenever Mohammed Bonesaw isn't orchestrating the murder of journalists (a reference to the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi) and dissolving their remains in acid, he seems to enjoy posing for photos with pedophiles.'
Another person commented, 'Personally, I think this is the least surprising one out of all of them.'
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Some questioned the public's reaction altogether.
'Is MBS considered a moral leader in any way?' one person asked, while others connected the scandal to Saudi Arabia's silence towards the ongoing war in Gaza, which several states, human rights scholars and institutions now qualify as a genocide.
One Reddit user wrote, 'If this is true, it would explain a lot for why there's no coordinated military response to the genocide [in Gaza].'
Another post on X added: 'This is why he supports 'Israel'.'
Wonder why they're all working for Israel and against their people ?
Saudi Arabia's King MBS, Pope, Emirati high level figure, Trump ... with their common pedophile friend Jeffrey Epstein. https://t.co/ksmnv0Spty pic.twitter.com/FwxFXzz5fr — MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) August 5, 2025
The criticism escalated as people connected the image to long-standing allegations of Gulf-Israeli collaboration.
Sam Youssef, author and editor of American and International Affairs, asked: 'Do you now understand why Arab rulers kneel to Netanyahu and the Mossad?'
Others saw the photograph as symbolic of regional betrayal.
'Basically, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was being managed by an Israeli agent. That's why Palestinians are helpless today. But not for long,' one person posted.
Many expressed disbelief and concern over the Saudi crown prince's apparent proximity to Epstein. But the relationship between Epstein and Mohammed bin Salman isn't new.
A year before his death, which was ruled a suicide in 2019, Epstein boasted of his ties to the crown prince during an interview with The New York Times.
A 2019 report by The New York Times—Jeffrey Epstein claimed to have known Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.
During a 2018 interview with journalist James B. Stewart, Epstein gestured to a framed photograph of MBS displayed prominently in his… pic.twitter.com/DnbhKMCJVs — Levantine Logic (@SyriaRetold) August 6, 2025
The crown prince was not the only high-profile figure whose image was exposed from inside Epstein's mansion.
Framed photos of US President Donald Trump; former President Bill Clinton; Pope John Paul II; Mick Jagger; Elon Musk; Fidel Castro; CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem from the United Arab Emirates; and former prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr al-Thani were also in his home.
Framed photograph in Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan home shows him with the UAE's Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the current group chairman & CEO of DP World (X)
In 2008, Epstein was convicted in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor, serving just 13 months in jail under a controversial plea deal. A decade later, he was arrested again on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors, accused of abusing dozens of underage girls between 2002 and 2005 in his homes in New York and Palm Beach.
On 6 July 2019, Epstein was arrested and held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He died in his cell on 10 August 2019.
Epstein's death has done little to quell public scrutiny. His connections to influential individuals, including former US presidents, royals, and billionaires, continue to fuel speculation about the extent of his network and whether justice was truly served.