Editing Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud (section)

===Disappearance and rumors===
After King Abdullah renewed Bandar's post on the National Security Council for an additional 4-year term in September 2009, Bandar failed to make the customary public demonstration of his allegiance to him.<ref name="missingprince"/> This noticeable absence was followed by others: an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys, Bandar did not appear in his customary seat—next to owner [[Jerry Jones]] in Jones's skybox—for the home opener of the new [[Cowboys Stadium]].<ref name="missingprince"/> In October 2009, he was not present in King Abdullah's delegation for the watershed Damascus visit.<ref name="missingprince"/> Most strikingly, in December 2009, Prince Bandar was not present for the return of his father, Crown Prince Sultan, from Morocco.<ref name="missingprince"/> After that event, journalists began to report on Bandar's disappearance, noting that his last appearance in public had been with King Abdullah in Jeddah on 10 December 2008.<ref name="missingprince"/>

Hugh Miles of the ''[[London Review of Books]]'' reported rumors that Bandar was undergoing surgery at the [[Johns Hopkins Hospital]] in Baltimore. Bandar's lawyer denied these rumors;<ref name="missingprince">{{cite web |author=Miles |first=Hugh |date=19 January 2009 |title=The Missing Prince |url=http://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2010/01/19/hugh-miles/the-missing-prince/ |work=LRB Blog}}</ref> he has no spokesman.<ref name="rosen"/>

''[[Le Figaro]]'''s Middle East blog reported that Bandar had been in a hospital in France, and was recuperating in Morocco.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 2010 |title=Prince Bandar missing |url=http://thegulfblog.com/tag/prince-bandar-missing/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416173215/http://thegulfblog.com/tag/prince-bandar-missing/ |archive-date=16 April 2015 |website=Gulfblog}}</ref>

Iran's [[Press TV]] reported that Bandar was under house arrest for an attempted coup. Saudi opposition sources said he was in [[Dhahban Central Prison|Dhaban Prison]].<ref name="missingprince"/> Some rumors alleged that his coup was exposed by Russian intelligence services because of his frequent trips to Moscow to encourage cooperation against Iran.<ref name="missingprince"/>

In October 2010, Middle East analyst Simon Henderson reported in ''Foreign Policy'' that Prince Bandar had made his first public appearance in almost two years. Citing official Saudi media, Henderson reported that Bandar had been greeted at the airport by "a virtual who's who of Saudi political figures." Henderson noted that no explanation had been given for the Prince's whereabouts for the previous two years—the only detail was that he had returned "from abroad." Henderson and other analysts viewed this reemergence as a sign of Bandar's rehabilitation into the active politics of the kingdom.<ref>Henderson, Simon. (21 October 2010). "Bandar Is Back," ''Foreign Policy''</ref>

In what was perceived as a return to prominence, in March 2011, Bandar was sent to [[Pakistan]], [[India]], [[Malaysia]], and China to gather support for [[Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain|Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Bahrain]].<ref name="rosen">Rosenberg, Matthew. (27 May 2011). [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303654804576347282491615962 "Saudi Bid to Curb Iran Worries U.S."]. ''The Wall Street Journal''.</ref><ref name="hannah"/> In April 2011, Bandar was present in meetings when U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Robert Gates]] visited King Abdullah and in a separate visit by National Security Advisor [[Tom Donilon]].<ref name="hannah">{{cite news |author=Hannah |first=John |date=22 April 2011 |title=Shadow Government: Bandar's Return |url=http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/22/bandars_return |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510083559/http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/22/bandars_return |archive-date=10 May 2011 |access-date=14 May 2011 |work=Foreign Policy}}</ref>

The other goal of his late March 2011 visit to Islamabad was to raise the prospect of a return engagement for the [[Pakistan Army]]. The goal was achieved, and Pakistan quickly approved the proposal.<ref name="Riedel 2011">{{cite journal |author=Riedel |first=Bruce |year=2011 |title=Brezhnev in the Hejaz |url=http://www.relooney.info/SI_Milken-Arabia/0-Important_14.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=The National Interest |volume=115 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115051640/http://www.relooney.info/SI_Milken-Arabia/0-Important_14.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2013}}</ref> His visit to China during the same period resulted in the issuing of lucrative contracts in return for political support. Since China was not a friend of the [[Arab Spring]], it was eager for Saudi oil and investment. Bandar secretly negotiated the first big Saudi-Chinese arms deal. Thus, Bandar was the Kingdom's premier China expert.<ref name="Riedel 2011"/>