A U.S. intelligence report released Friday charged that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “approved” the 2018 operation that resulted in Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s death inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.
The report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluded that the crown prince “approved an operation” to “capture or kill” the journalist. Khashoggi’s death inside the building was captured on audio, and his remains are believed to have been sawed into pieces and smuggled out of Turkey.
PRIVATE JET COMPANY USED BY KHASHOGGI ASSASSINS SEIZED BY SAUDI CROWN PRINCE PRIOR TO SLAYING
Mohammed’s “control of decision making in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser,” members of his protective detail’s inclusion in the operation, and his “support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad” demonstrate his culpability, it stated. It would be “highly unlikely” for an operation of this magnitude to be carried out without his authorization, the ODNI report noted.
Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist, was lured into the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, where he was assassinated and dismembered by a 15-man team in October 2018. He had visited the consulate to obtain the paperwork necessary to marry Hatice Cengiz, his fiancee.
The killing of Khashoggi sparked backlash from Congress, and the CIA determined that the crown prince ordered Khashoggi’s killing.
The report was expected to show Mohammed’s culpability in Khashoggi’s death.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Saudi Arabia is a key partner on many priorities,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Thursday. “This relationship … is multifaceted, but we want to ensure that we bring those facets much closer in line with our interests and our values … the release of that report and the accountability that will ensue.”
Cengiz filed a lawsuit against the Saudi crown prince in U.S. federal court.
“I am hopeful that we can achieve truth and justice for Jamal through this lawsuit,” Cengiz said. “Jamal believed anything was possible in America, and I place my trust in the American civil justice system to obtain a measure of justice and accountability.”
The civil suit, which is seeking unspecified damages, was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under the Torture Victims Protection Act and the Alien Tort Statute, allowing non-U.S. citizens to file lawsuits in U.S. courts over allegations of torture or extrajudicial killings committed in foreign countries.
