Ibn Saud was well aware that the Ottoman Empire was falling apart, and that this change in the balance of power in the region offered a unique opportunity. When Ibn Saud met Captain William Shakespear, the British political agent in Kuwait, at Majma'a in northern Nejd, he told him that the time had come for "the Nejd to rid itself of all shadow of Ottoman suzerainty and to drive their troops from al-Hasa".

As good as his word, he marched on Hofuf. His force included a number of Ikhwan detachments. He knew that he would be well-received by the citizens for he had established good contacts with the main merchants there who had been active in organizing support for his cause. With a troop of 300 carefully selected warriors, Ibn Saud moved against the Turkish garrison which consisted of some 1,200 men. Under cover of night, some of the Saudi men mounted the battlements of Hofuf, entered the town and opened the western gate to allow their comrades to join them.

The Turkish soldiers, caught unawares, offered little resistance and retreated in disarray into the Kut, the inner fortification where ammunition was stored. There they were safe for the moment, but entirely isolated from the outside world and from any hope of relief.

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