Nayef was born in Taif in 1933. He received his education at "The Princes School" and at the hands of senior ulema (religious leaders). In addition, he has read widely in politics, diplomacy, and security. In 1953, at the age of 20, he became Governor of Riyadh. From 1954 to 1970, he served as Deputy Minister of the Interior. In 1970, King Faisal promoted him to Minister of State for Internal Affairs.
Timeline
- In March 1975, King Faisal's assassination made then-Minister of Interior Prince Fahd Crown Prince. Nayef replaced Fahd as Minister of Interior.
- In December 1994, he ordered hundreds of terrorism-related arrests with the support of Prince Turki, head of Saudi intelligence services.
- In November 2001, he issued all women in Saudi Arabia identity cards. Women were previously registered under their husband's or father's name.
- In April 2001, he, not Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal, went to Iran as Saudi envoy in an unprecedented move.
- After the September 11 attacks, he received U.S. criticism for not undertaking sufficient action against extremists.
- In July 2003, Senator Charles Schumer lobbied through Prince Bandar to remove Nayef as Minister of Interior.
- Between 2003 and 2006, he led Saudi's confrontation against al Qaeda, which sponsored a series of domestic attacks on expatriate housing compounds, oil infrastructure, and industrial facilities.[ His political stance was strengthened because of increased media exposure and the successful end to terrorist attacks.
- In March 2011, during the 2011 Saudi Arabian protests, 200 people who called for more information on their imprisoned relatives were denied a meeting with Nayef.