Saudi prince promises Bentleys to pilots bombing Yemen

A Saudi prince has come under fire on social media after reportedly promising luxury Bentley cars to fighter pilots involved in bombing strikes in Yemen.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal apparently made the offer in a tweet after the Kingdom announced the end to the first stage of a bombing campaign targeting Houthi rebels, according to a BBC report. 

The prince, who has three million followers on Twitter, reportedly wrote: "In appreciation of their role in this operation, I'm honoured to offer 100 Bentley cars to the 100 Saudi [fighter] pilots". The tweet in question was removed but screenshots remain in circulation online.

Prince @Alwaleed_Talal pledges 100 Bentleys to brave Saudi bombers. No word yet on gifts 4 #Yemens brave bomb victims pic.twitter.com/unv5ioT0RU

— Jeremy Walker (@Jwalkerpress) April 21, 2015

The tweet was met with outrage from Twitter users, who highlighted the loss and misery caused by the Saudi bombings of Yemen.

The prince visited Malta last December and was made Honorary Companion of the National Order of Merit for charity work he is planning in Malta and his long-standing interest in Malta.

Some doubts arose however on the true nature of his philanthropy - a former employee claims he would make generous donations and then return years later to further his business enterprises.