Some have called bin Salman the architect of the war in Yemen.[147][148] On 10 January 2016, The Independent reported that "the BND, the German intelligence agency, portrayed...Saudi defence minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman...as a political gambler who is destabilising the Arab world through proxy wars in Yemen and Syria."[149][28][150] German officials reacted to the BND's memo, saying the published statement "is not the position of the federal government".[6]