On October 2, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi walks in to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and never walks out. He is captured and murdered by agents operating under Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), whose regime he criticized publicly.
The U.S. determines MBS’s role in Khashoggi’s disappearance and murder in February 2021.
The conclusion that the prince approved an operation to kill or capture Khashoggi, a critic of his authoritarian consolidation of power, was based on what intelligence officials know about his role in decision-making inside the kingdom as well as the involvement of one of his key advisers, Saud al-Qahtani, and members of his protective detail, according to the report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Officials also factored in the prince’s past support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, the report said…
Associated Press
Khashoggi arrived at the consulate to retrieve documents he needed for his wedding. Fifteen or so Saudi officials were waiting for him inside.
A Turkish bug planted at the consulate reportedly captured the sound of a forensic saw, operated by a Saudi colonel who was also a forensics expert, dismembering Khashoggi’s body within an hour of his entering the building. The whereabouts of his remains remain unknown.
Associated Press
Donald Trump, a former associate of Jamal’s uncle Adnan Khashoggi, has been supportive of the prince’s violent attacks on his critics, and MBS has bragged that he owns Jared Kushner.
I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing… Some of those they are harshly treating have been “milking” their country for years!
Donald J. Trump
External Sources
Al Jazeera’s Khashoggi Timeline (Archived)
The Intercept, Trump quote (Archived)
Photo: Public Domain
