Saudi prince’s ‘bullet’ threat
Intercepted phone call a year before journalist’s killing
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, reportedly told an aide he would use “a bullet” on Jamal Khashoggi one year before the journalist was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
US intelligence intercepted a phone call in September 2017 in which the crown prince said Khashoggi should be lured back to Saudi Arabia or forced to return to the kingdom, according to the New York Times. If neither method worked he should face a bullet, the prince reportedly said.
If confirmed, the phone call would appear to be the most direct evidence yet linking the crown prince to plans to kill the Washington Post columnist.
Saudi Arabia has strenuously denied the crown prince was involved in the October 2018 killing. The White House has continued to stand by the prince, despite a classified
CIA assessment concluding he ordered the assassination.
Fahrettin Altun, a senior aide to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of Turkey, demanded the suspects be extradited to Turkey to stand trial.
The kingdom has charged 11
people with the killing, including members of Crown Prince Mohammed’s entourage, and is seeking the death penalty against five. However, the proceedings have continued in secret.
A Saudi official said: “We again deny any involvement on the part of the crown prince in the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi . . . We are focused on uncovering the full truth and ensuring complete accountability.” —