Mohammed bin Nayef, the detained former Saudi crown prince, has been put at risk by a malicious social media campaign accusing him of plotting a coup, lawyers acting for him have warned.

The prince's lawyers on Friday told the Guardian they had written to YouTube to ask the site to take down a video in which it was claimed that Mohammed bin Nayef had been involved in a plot to overthrow his powerful replacement, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The video claims that bin Nayef - who has been detained since March 2020 - is in fact at large, and implies he is conspiring with US President-elect Joe Biden to undermine Saudi Arabia's government.