According to reports, the United States Central Intelligence Agency has high confidence that the order to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi came from the highest level. The CIA has linked members of the hit squad sent to murder Khashoggi directly to the prince. Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian..
According to reports, the United States Central Intelligence Agency has high confidence that the order to kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi came from the highest level. The CIA has linked members of the hit squad sent to murder Khashoggi directly to the Saudi prince.
Background
Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian journalist who was a permanent resident of the United States and a columnist at the Washington Post, was killed at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. He was a vocal, but not extreme, critic of Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his “oppressive regime”. The Saudi government denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s death for two weeks into the investigation, before finally admitting he was killed by several high ranking officials in the embassy in an alleged fist fight. Turkish US officials claim they have evidence he was dismembered and tortured before being murdered.
Saudi’s ties with its strongest ally, the United states, have grown strained over the issue. Many political, financial and business leaders have also spoken strongly against the country.
Analysis
The US Central Intelligence Agency believes Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman directly ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in October, as reported by Khashoggi’s former employer, The Washington Post.
The CIA reportedly has high confidence in its assessment, which contradicts the official Saudi line that a rogue group was behind the killing. The report was confirmed by Reuters and The New York Times, which both cited unnamed sources. Reuters said the CIA had briefed other government departments on its findings.
US Vice President Mike Pence said there would be consequences for Khashoggi’s murderers but declined to comment on the intelligence agency’s assessment. In a statement he said, “The United States is determined to hold all of those accountable who are responsible for that murder.”
According to The Washington Post, the CIA examined multiple sources to reach its conclusions, including audio recorded inside the consulate and shared by Turkey, as well as a phone call that the prince’s brother, Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to the US, had with Khashoggi. Khalid told Khashoggi he should go to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to retrieve the documents and gave him assurances that it would be safe to do so, the Post said. The newspaper said it was not clear if Khalid knew Khashoggi would be killed but that he made the call at his brother’s direction.
Ambassador Khalid bin Salman said in a Twitter post on Friday the last contact he had with Khashoggi was via text on October 26, 2017, nearly a year before the journalist’s death.
“I never talked to him by phone and certainly never suggested he go to Turkey for any reason. I ask the US government to release any information regarding this claim,” he tweeted. The reports on the CIA assessment come a day after the US sanctioned 17 Saudi nationals allegedly involved in Khashoggi’s murder, including bin Salman’s top aide, Saud al-Qahtani.
Many US politicians welcomed the sanctions but said they did not go far enough and that bin Salman should be included.
Separately on Thursday, a bipartisan group of US senators introduced legislation seeking to punish Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi’s killing and for the kingdom’s role in the devastating war in Yemen. Turkish officials have said the killing was intentional and have been pressuring Saudi Arabia to extradite those responsible to stand trial. An adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused Saudi Arabia of trying to cover up the murder.
His remarks came after Shaalan al-Shaalan, Saudi Arabia’s deputy public prosecutor, said he was seeking the death penalty for five suspects charged in Khashoggi’s killing. Al-Shaalan told reporters that the Saudi crown prince knew nothing of the operation, in which Khashoggi’s body was dismembered and removed from the consulate.
Assessment
Our assessment is that the report could hinder the Trump administration’s attempts to ease political pressure on their ally against Iran, and that it will significantly add to the pressure on US President Donald Trump to take action against the kingdom. In our opinion, the CIA would have to have been certain in its conclusion of bin Salman’s involvement before reports were leaked to the media. As we have stated before, the consequences of of this investigation could be severely detrimental to Saudi Arabia’s position in the Middle East.
Leave a Reply