ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the operation to capture or kill Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a US intelligence investigation has found.
The declassified report said: “We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Contributed to mostly by the CIA, it added: “We base this assessment on the Crown Prince’s control of decision making in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail
in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including
Khashoggi.”
Mr Khashoggi disappeared in October that year after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he is believed to have been killed and his body dismembered.
His remains have never been found.
Riyadh maintains the Washington Post columnist was killed as part of a “rogue” extradition operation that went wrong, saying there was no involvement from the crown prince, who is the de facto ruler, and whose policies were often criticised in Mr Khashoggi’s articles.
The release of the declassified report on Friday is expected to mark a significant shift in US-Saudi relations – President Joe Biden has promised to steer toward a more traditional approach, unlike the cosy relationship observed with Donald Trump.
Under the former administration, Mr Trump stayed close with the Saudis, giving the major oil producer a relaxed ride on human rights issues, its role in the Yemen war, and more.
He also rejected calls from politicians and human rights groups to release the then-classified report in 2018 when it was first briefed to Congress.
This was said to be a bid to maintain ties with his Arab ally as tensions increased with Iran – the Saudi’s rival in the region – as well as wanting to promote US arms sales.
