‘Hold MBS Accountable’: World Reacts To US Khashoggi Report
US intelligence agencies have concluded in a new report that slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered by a Saudi hit squad operating under the command of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).
The unclassified report released on Friday confirmed the role top US intelligence officials believe Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler played in the 2018 killing of Khashoggi.
“We assess that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” the Office of US Director of National Intelligence said.
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control of the Kingdom's security and intelligence organisations, making it highly unlikely that
Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince's authorisation.”
The 59-year-old was a columnist for the Washington Post newspaper who had been critical of the Saudi government. He was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
Saudi officials have denied MBS had any role in the assassination.
Here is how the world reacted to the release of the fourpage report.
Saudi Foreign Ministry:
In a statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA, the kingdom's foreign ministry said: “The government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completely rejects the … assessment in the report pertaining to the Kingdom's leadership, and notes that the report contained inaccurate information and conclusions.”
United Arab Emirates:
The UAE defended Saudi Arabia's position, reported UAE's state news agency WAM on Saturday.
The UAE's foreign ministry “expressed its confidence in and support for the Saudi judiciary rulings, which affirm the kingdom's commitment to implementing the law in a transparent and impartial manner, and holding all those involved in this case accountable”, WAM said.
United Kingdom:
The British foreign office reiterated the United Kingdom has always been clear that “Jamal Khashoggi's murder was a terrible crime”.