'Mr. Bone Saw' Online Comment Lands Another Saudi Twitter Activist in Jail

Saudi social media activist Amani Al-Zain has been reportedly arrested from her house in Jedda city after pro-MBS users circulated an old video clip in which she describes the Saudi Crown Prince as "Mr. Bone Saw."

Amani Al-Zain's October 2019 live video call with Egyptian political activist Wael Ghoniem, who had a leading role in Egypt's Arab Spring protests in 2011, was widely shared by supporters of Mohammad Bin Salman hours before she was arrested.

In the video call, Amani introduces herself to Ghoniem, who'd spent several years growing up in KSA, before he tells her that he loves Mohammad Bin Salman. While it wasn't clear if Ghoniem's comments were sarcastic or not, Al-Zain responds with a few laughs saying Abu Munshar (Mr. Bone Saw), the term that was used in the New York Times following the gruesome murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a green-card holder who was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.

Translation: "Saudi activist Amani Al-Zain has been arrested for speaking her mind. Amani described the Saudi heir as Abu Munshar, which is an NYT term "Mr. Bone Saw." Bots, as usual, launched the hashtag (Amani Al-Zain is insulting the crown prince) which has led her to jail." 

According to Turkish and US intelligence reports, the culprits, who are thought to be directed by the Saudi Crown Prince used a bone saw to dismantle Khashoggi's body while in the consulate before they got rid of it. One of the Saudi hit team members had brought a bone saw with him a few days before the killing. Khashoggi's body was never found ever since.

Right after Amani Al-Zain's comment, Wael Ghoniem can be heard saying "I don't think we should talk about Saudi Arabia because I care for your safety."

Translation: "She deserves it and I hope she stays in prison forever and ever. She must be disciplined by the state and be treated like animals. Everyone who supports her or encourages her should also be disciplined by the state because they clearly didn't receive proper discipline from their families."

Pro-MBS users used the video to demand Amani's arrest, arguing that "she must be an agent working for foreign or hostile countries."

Some users went on to say that "she's not a true Saudi but that her family has been granted Saudi citizenship for years."

Translation: "Al-Zain family is a Lebanese one that pledges allegiance to Hizbollah. They're all Shiite and most of them still reside in Lebanon."

Translation: "The Saudi people are in favor of arresting her while the Persians and the Turks and their supporters are against it. Why do they have a say on this if she's a Saudi? They support her treason." This is a Saudi affair for the government and the people and no one else gets to have a say in it."