Saudi ruler did have Khashoggi killed, says US spy dossier
Trump kept intelligence report secret when in Oval Office to ensure smooth relations with Arab state
SAUDI Arabia’s crown prince approved the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, it emerged last night in a US intelligence report that was kept secret by Donald Trump.
The conclusion was based on the ‘absolute control’ Mohammed bin Salman has over security in Saudi Arabia.
The US’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence said it was ‘highly unlikely’ that the operation would have gone ahead without the approval of the 35year-old prince. It singled out members of the crown prince’s personal protective detail as members of the hit squad.
The report had been kept secret by the Trump administration for years because the former president wanted to maintain good relations with the Saudis. Mr Trump flouted a law that required the report to be made public.
But last night, US president Joe Biden’s administration released the dossier. Congress may now sanction the Gulf kingdom and the White House has declared there are a ‘range of actions that are on the table’.
Mr Khashoggi, a Saudi-American who worked for The Washington Post, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018 on the premise he was picking up files related to his planned marriage to his fiancée. Instead he was drugged and dismembered – and the remains of the father-of-five, 59, have never been found. The executive summary of the report was titled ‘Assessing the Saudi government’s role in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi’.
It stated: ‘We assess that... Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. We base this assessment on the crown prince’s control of decision-making in the kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Mohammed bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the crown prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad.’
It added: ‘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 report noted the 15member execution team included seven members of the crown prince’s elite personal protective detail, the Rapid Intervention Force, who would not have acted without his approval.
‘Involvement of a key adviser’ ‘Prince has had absolute control’
Mr Trump’s reluctance to release the report stemmed from his reliance on the country as an ally in the Middle East.
It comes as the US yesterday said it would ban the entry of foreigners who threaten dissidents and will immediately restrict 76 Saudis.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said the new ‘Khashoggi ban’ will restrict any individuals who have engaged in ‘serious, extraterritorial counter-dissident activities’, including harassment of journalists or their families.