IOR/L/PS/12/1464

The file contains papers relating to the attempted assassination of Sultan Fadhl bin Abdul Karim, in response to his being named heir apparent to the Sultanate of Lahej by his father, Sultan 'Abd al Karim II ibn Al Fadhl Al 'Abdali.

The file consists of copies of Political Intelligence Summaries submitted to the Colonial Office by the Protectorate Secretary, and correspondence between the Aden Chief Commissioner, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the Secretary of the India Office Political Department (John Charles Walton).

The correspondence concerns: the assassination attempt; the petition against the election of Sultan Fadhl bin Abdul Karim; the break from the standard procedure of electing a successor following the death of the incumbent Sultan; discussion of the appropriate response to be issued from the Resident; the punishment of the conspirators, and their eventual deportation to the Seychelles. The Aden Chief Commissioner had initially proposed deportation to Zanzibar or Palestine, but this was overruled by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, 'owing to risk of intrigues'.

At folios 24-27 is a communication from the Resident regarding the custom of tribal succession in the Aden Protectorate, providing a brief summary of successions in the early twentieth century.

The file includes a divider which gives a list of the correspondence contained within the file by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 2).