Riyadh rejects crown prince’s role in Khashoggi murder

RIYADH/ISTANBUL (DPA), NOV 20, 2018 -Saudi Arabia rejected allegations that the powerful crown prince gave the order to kill Jamal Khashoggi, as a Turkish website released the first quotes from audio tapes purportedly of the dissident journalist’s last moments.

“We, in the kingdom, know that such allegations about the crown prince are totally unfounded, and we reject them categorically,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-jubeir told Asharq al-awsat daily in an interview published on Tuesday.

According to recent US media reports, the Central Intelligence Agency has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi’s murder. The Saudi government has denied the claim.

The Washington Post columnist and critic of the crown prince was killed on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Al-jubeir said the reports were “leaks ... based on assessments and not conclusive evidence.”

“I would like to emphasize that the leadership of Saudi Arabia ... is a red line,” al-jubeir said, while talking about King Salman and his son. “we will not allow attempts to undermine our leadership, from any party and under any pretext.” “Justice in this case is a Saudi demand, before it is an international demand,” al-jubeir added.