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Status: 02/26/2021 8:23 pm
Without the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the assassination of Khashoggi would not have been possible: the secret services of the United States are making serious accusations against Mohammed bin Salman. Washington imposed sanctions on dozens of Saudis.
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, likely approved the operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018, according to US intelligence agencies. This stems from a report published by the office of the US intelligence coordinator, Avril Haines.
Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had “absolute control over the kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations,” according to the report. “That makes it highly unlikely that Saudi Arabian officials would have carried out such an operation without the approval of the Crown Prince.” A close adviser and bodyguard to the Crown Prince also participated in the operation against Khashoggi.
The US State Department imposed entry restrictions on 76 citizens of Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said they are believed to have “been involved in threatening dissidents abroad” like Khashoggi.
According to the US secret services, Mohammend bin Salman supported “if necessary violent means” to “silence” Khashoggi.
Image: AFP
Seen as a threat
The crown prince viewed Khashoggi as a threat to the kingdom “and generally supported violent media when necessary to silence him,” the report said. However, it is not clear to what extent the representatives of the Saudi government had planned in advance to inflict violence on journalists critical of the government.
Khashoggi was assassinated on October 2, 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by a special command from Riyadh. There is no trace of his body. The journalist lived in the US state of Virginia and wrote columns for the Washington Post, which often contained criticism of the Saudi monarchy.
A trial is underway for the murder of Khashoggi in Turkey. In autumn, a Saudi court sentenced five defendants to 20 years in prison, thus overturning the death sentence imposed on the five men late last year. Khashoggi’s family had previously stated that they would forgive the perpetrators.
Biden had already accused the Crown Prince of responsibility
US President Joe Biden had already accused the crown prince in the election campaign of ordering the assassination of Khashoggis. Riyadh will “pay a price” for it and become an “outsider”. On Thursday, Biden called Saudi King Salman for the first time. The White House later said that Biden had reaffirmed the importance the United States places on human rights and the rule of law. The ad did not mention Khashoggi’s murder.
Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had made billions in arms deals with Riyadh. The Republican was an important ally of the crown prince. Washington imposed sanctions on more than a dozen former Saudi government employees in connection with the journalist’s murder. Trump maintained his support for the royal family in Riyadh.
