Neom... is a
planned cross-border city in the
Tabuk Province of northwestern
Saudi Arabia. It is planned to incorporate
smart city technologies and also function as a tourist destination...
In late 2018, after the
assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi crown prince
Mohammed bin Salman said that "No one will invest [in the project] for years".
[31] Advisers to Neom, including
Daniel L. Doctoroff[32] and architect
Norman Foster, were reported to have distanced themselves from the project and the "toxic" Saudi crown prince.
[33] Also, the scope of the projects based on the crown prince's vision incorporates some technologies that don’t even exist yet, like
flying cars, robot maids, dinosaur robots, and a giant artificial moon.
[34] It is estimated that 20,000 people will be forced to relocate to accommodate the planned city.
[35] ...
On 13 April 2020 Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti posted videos online announcing that Saudi security forces were trying to evict him and other members of the
Howeitat tribe from their historic homeland to make way for the development of Neom.
[36] Alya Abutayah Alhwaiti, a Saudi human rights activist from the same tribe circulated the videos.
[36] In the videos Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti said he would defy the eviction orders though he expected Saudi authorities would plant weapons in his house to incriminate him. He was later killed by Saudi security forces, who claimed he had opened fire on them.
[36] This version of events was disputed by Alya Abutayah Alhwaiti who said that he didn't own firearms.