On April 13, Saudi security forces killed an activist named Abdul Rahim al-Huwaiti. When authorities came to raid his house and arrest him, he opened fire, Saudi officials claimed.

Its the first death connected to Neom, a proposed $500 billion city in a remote northwestern corner of Saudi Arabia that is a signature project for the countrys crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The de facto Saudi ruler says the metropolis will be stunningly futuristic, with residents every need met by robots and the so-called internet of things , and unique in the ultraconservative kingdom for relaxed social norms and laws. You have no one there, so the regulations will be based on the needs of companies and the investors, the prince, known as MBS, said in 2017.

But 20,000 people were there, mostly members of the ancient Huwaitat tribe including al-Huwaiti, who spent months speaking up for them in online videos before his government shot him to death in his own home.

As MBSs international reputation has swung between wunderkind and tyrant, his rich foreign friends, including powerful Americans, have consistently pushed one narrative. They argue that his economic reforms for Saudi Arabia, the biggest economy in the Arab world, are worth supporting regardless of his human rights abuses.

Its now becoming clear that his repression is inseparable from his plans for the Saudi markets.

After al-Huwaitis death, prominent Saudi rights advocates began sharing a hashtag on Twitter one of the most popular social networks in the kingdom calling him a martyr. Another activist from the tribe, Alya Abutayah Alhwaiti, told HuffPost, other media outlets and her followers that she received threats of government retribution for her posts.

For some of MBSs most important allies, it could be time for a reckoning, if only for the sake of public perception. Neoms board of advisers boasts big names: Rob Speyer, the head of real estate company Tishman Speyer; Masayoshi Son, the chairman of SoftBank; Timothy Collins, the CEO of private equity firm Ripplewood Holdings and chairman of the board of advisers for Yale Universitys School of Management; Marc Raibert, the chairman of Boston Dynamics; John Rossant, the NewCities Foundation chairman; Alexandra Cousteau, the president of the Oceans 2050 Foundation; noted MIT professor Carlo Ratti; former DowDuPont chairman Andrew Liveris; and top chemist Jean Frchet.

Those nine individuals have been on the board since Riyadh first announced its formation in 2018 one week after Saudi agents murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. As other board members announced they were stepping down, Rattis office told Fast Company he would decide how to proceed following U.S. investigations. Weeks later, the CIA concluded MBS ordered Khashoggis killing. Ratti appears to have stayed on the board anyway.

None of those nine listed Neom advisers responded to HuffPosts inquiries about their involvement and whether they had heard about al-Huwaitis death. The only board member to do so was the tenth, Ali Shihabi, who joined the group earlier this year. Previously known as an advocate of MBS in the U.S., Shihabi said via email that the government responded appropriately and questioned al-Huwaiti and his tribe.

Their decision likely isnt about income Shihabi wrote that he wasnt aware of compensation for the role other than for travel expenses.

Instead, board members are likely grappling with the same dilemma facing hundreds of other individuals, businesses and even governments over their relationships with MBS: how close to remain to a partner who is sometimes useful for his wealth and influence, but seemingly always just days away from another reprehensible, embarrassing move.

Leaders in global business stuck by the prince despite his responsibility for Khashoggis murder and a Saudi military intervention in Yemen thats caused thousands of deaths. Will they do the same as he launches crackdowns on behalf of projects that bear their names?

We Want To Be Part Of This Successful Thing

Filming videos in his hometown of Khuraybah, al-Huwaiti portrayed MBS as out of touch with Saudi citizens. Members of the Huwaitat tribe were not prepared to move on behalf of Neom, he suggested, and they worried the government would persecute them for their refusal.

The community initially saw the potential of the project but soon became anxious, said Alhwaiti, who lived in the area as a child and now resides in London. They were given few details about the compensation they would receive for being displaced and worried that authorities would destroy their homes without even considering if they were empty. Alhwaiti amplified Twitter hashtags critical of Neom for months, as well as al-Huwaitis videos.

Al-Huwaiti repeatedly told his viewers he expected to be targeted.

Then officials came to his home last month and he filmed himself describing their arrival, apparently on his roof. What happened next is disputed. Saudi authorities say he shot at them instead of surrendering himself as a wanted man. Alhwaiti, who is in touch with members of her tribe who are on the ground, says he did not have a gun and shared photographs of a shot-up building.

They made an example of Abdul Rahim. Thats what the government does, she said.