London, Asharq Al-Awsat—The chief of Saudi Arabia’s national intelligence agency, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, was relieved of his post “at his own request” on Tuesday, according to a royal decree published by the Saudi Press Agency.

The royal decree by King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz appointed Prince Bandar’s deputy, Lt. Gen. Yousif Bin Ali Al-Idrissi, as the new head of intelligence on an interim basis.

Prince Bandar took over as chief of the Kingdom’s intelligence service in July 2012, after serving for several years as head of the Saudi National Security Council. The decree did not specify if he would continue in this role.

Prior to 2005, he spent more than two decades as ambassador to the US.