[ad_1]
Saudi journalist Jamal Hashoghi
The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, has approved an operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Hashoghi. This is stated in a declassified US intelligence report, cited by world agencies.
Hashoghi lived in the United States and wrote articles critical of the policies of the heir to the throne for the Washington Post. The Saudi journalist was killed and his body dismembered by a team of agents linked to Prince Mohammed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Riyadh denies being involved in the murder of the heir to the throne, who effectively rules the kingdom.
“In our opinion, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or assassinate Saudi journalist Jamal Hashoghi,” said a report from the office of the National Intelligence Agency of United States published in the Vedomo. website., informs BTA.
“Our assessment is based on the Crown Prince’s control over decision-making in the kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and security guard to Mohammed bin Salman in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for the use of violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Hashoghi, “says the document.
The report was released today in a way that aims to limit the damage to relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.
Washington has organized events to soften the blow. Yesterday, Biden spoke by phone with Saudi King Salman, the father of Prince Mohammed. The two sides said they reaffirmed their decades-long alliance in the talks and vowed to cooperate.
US President Joe Biden’s decision to declassify the report is a shift from the approach of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who declined to disclose it. The move demonstrates a new willingness by the United States to challenge Saudi Arabia on a variety of issues, from human rights to the war in Yemen.
However, Biden faces a daunting task, trying to maintain ties with Saudi Arabia as he seeks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which is the kingdom’s regional rival, and address other challenges, including fighting Islamist extremism. and the promotion of Arab culture. -Israeli relations.
[ad_2]
