Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah removed Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja from his post, hours after the minister announced the shutting down of a controversial television channel

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah removed Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja from his post, hours after the minister announced the shutting down of a controversial Islamist television channel. However, no link between the two developments has been confirmed officially.

Khoja announced on Twitter that he has ordered the closing of the Wesal channel that is accused of inciting sectarian hatred, two days after an attack on a Shiite gathering place killed five people on the eve of Ashura, one of the Shiite calendar’s holiest days.

The subsequent manhunt for the killers led to the arrest of 15 people and the death of at least two in clashes, including one security personnel.

“I gave orders to shut down the office of Wesal in Riyadh and to ban any broadcasting of the channel from Saudi Arabia,” Khoja posted on his Twitter account earlier on Wednesday. “The channel is not Saudi in the first place,” he said, local daily Al Eqtisadiya reported on Wednesday.

Khoja did not specify the reasons for banning Wesal, but he said that the information ministry would not hesitate to take action against any media that attempts to undermine the “nation’s unity, security and stability”.

“The ministry, in collaboration with the security men and brave citizens, will confront, with strong determination, anyone who incites strife,” he said. “Terrorism has no religion or sect and terrorists are the enemies of all religions and sects and humanity,” he said.

Khoja's duties will be taken over by the Hajj Minister Bandar Bin Mohammad Hamza who keeps his current post, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.