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Saudi King, suffering from pneumonia, placed on ventilator

Saudi King Abdullah is suffering from a lung infection but is said to be in stable condition.

By JC Finley
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, pictured in 2012, was diagnosed with pneumonia. UPI/POOL
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, pictured in 2012, was diagnosed with pneumonia. UPI/POOL | License Photo

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has been diagnosed with pneumonia and was temporarily placed on a ventilator Friday.

According to the royal court, the 90-year-old king was admitted to the National Guard's King Abdulaziz Medical City hospital in Riyadh on Wednesday for unspecified medical tests and transferred to a military hospital on Thursday.

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He has a lung infection but is said to be in stable condition.

Saudi officials have not said how long the king will remain hospitalized but his latest health setback has fueled continuing speculation about who his successor will be.

The crown has passed between the sons of Ibn Saud, Saudi's first monarch, since his death in 1953.

King Abdullah's half-brother, Crown Prince Salman, is next in line and increasingly active as the king's emissary. Another half-brother, Prince Muqrin was appointed deputy crown prince in 2014.

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