At least 11 Saudi Arabian princes and dozens of senior officials and prominent businessmen, including one of the world’s richest men, have been arrested by the country’s new anti-corruption commission. Billionaire tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a major investor in Twitter, Citigroup and many other international companies, was among the senior figures detained in the crackdown, people aware of the matter said. The private airport in Riyadh was closed to prevent personal jets being used to assist any escape, these people added. The arrests, first reported by the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel on Saturday, came just hours after King Salman ordered the establishment of a new anti-corruption commission and named his 32-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to lead it. The international stature of outspoken Prince Alwaleed, who has sparred with US president Donald Trump on Twitter and is estimated to be worth around $18bn, has amplified the global reaction to the crown prince’s domestic campaign. Shares in Kingdom Holdings, his investment company, fell 10 per cent on the Tadawul stock exchange, despite announcing a sharp rise in third-quarter earnings on Sunday. Government officials were not immediately available for comment. Al Arabiya did not initially offer details on the identities of the princes and officials who were arrested. Reuters quoted an unnamed senior Saudi official confirming the arrest of Prince Alwaleed and Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister.