A former senior Saudi intelligence official who accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of attempting to assassinate him in 2018 has been placed under increased security following a new threat to his life, a Canadian newspaper reported.
The Globe and Mail said Canadian security services were informed of a new attempted attack on Saad Aljabri, who lives at an unpaved location in the Toronto region.
Aljabri served as an opponent against an opponent of a rival prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, who was ousted in 2017 by Prince Mohammed.
The newspaper said the source – someone “with knowledge of the situation” would not provide further details about the more recent threat by Saudi agents.
Aljabri is now under the protection of ‘heavily armed’ officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as private guards, the news release said.
In a lawsuit filed in Washington on Thursday, Aljabri accused Prince Mohammed of sending a hit squad to Canada and killing him in 2018, the same fate that befell the Saudi journalist’s dissident two weeks earlier. Jamal Khashoggi was in Turkey.
Aljabri’s suit said he wanted to die because he had intimate knowledge of Prince Mohammed’s activities that could foster a close relationship with the Trump administration in Washington.
Asked to comment on the Globe report, Mary-Liz Power, spokeswoman for Public Security Minister Bill Blair, addressed a reporter following Blair’s earlier comment on the 2018 attempt.
‘While we are unable to comment on specific allegations currently pending before the courts,’ he said at the time, ‘we are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have tried to control Canadians and those living in Canada. , to intimidate or threaten.
“It is completely unacceptable and we will never tolerate foreign actors who threaten Canada’s national security as the security of our citizens and residents.”
Aljabri was already abroad in June 2017 when Prince Mohammed seized power, removed Prince Nayef as crown prince and placed him under house arrest.
After his children in Riyadh were hit with travel restrictions, Aljabri refused to return, fearing for his life, and moved to Canada, where a son lives.
In March, his children were abducted in Saudi Arabia. They have not been heard from since.
The case against Prince Mohammed and several others was filed as an allegation of attempted murder under the Protection of Victims Act. Aljabri asked the court for unspecified damages.
