The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, M. bin Salman has arrested three members of the royal family, including his own uncle, King Salman bin Abdulaziz’s brother Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz.

New York Times reported in a piece that no reason has been provided for the arrests.

The other arrested royals are former Crown Prince M. bin Nayef and his brother, NYT added in the story.

The arrests appeared linked to growing discontent among royals toward the Crown Prince's arbitrary rule, as some members of Saudi Arabia’s ruling family and business elite have expressed frustration in the past.

Already viewed as the de facto ruler controlling all the major levers of government, from defense to the economy, Saudi Crown Prince Prince M. bin Salman is widely seen to be stamping out traces of internal dissent before a formal transfer of power from his 81-year-old father King Salman.

In September the authorities arrested about two dozen people, including influential clerics, in what activists denounced as a coordinated crackdown.

"There is a lot of resentment" about the crown prince’s leadership, a member of the Saudi elite with royal connections told Reuters on condition of anonimity.

This person added that some people in elite circles are saying they have "no confidence" in the crown prince, an assertion echoed by the four other sources and the senior diplomat.