The saga of the only Leonardo Da Vinci painting in private hands has taken another twist with reports that US intelligence has identified the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, as the true buyer of the work, which was sold for $450m (£335m) at auction. The claim will raise eyebrows, coming in the midst of a sweeping anti-corruption drive in the kingdom that has seen 159 business leaders, including members of the royal family, imprisoned in a five-star hotel over allegations of financial malfeasance.

The actual buyer of Salvator Mundi, a painting depicting Jesus Christ, was identified on Thursday as Prince Bader bin Abdullah, a little known Saudi prince who was appointed to a commission led by Bin Salman in July and appears to be an ally of the crown prince.(theguardian)…[+]