Saudi prince said Khashoggi would ‘face a bullet’ one year before death
US intelligence reportedly intercepted phone call directly linking prince to plans to murder journalist
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, reportedly told an aide that 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 Mr 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 Crown Prince Mohammed to plans to kill the Washington Post columnist. Saudi Arabia has strenuously denied that the 33-year-old, who is effectively the kingdom’s ruler, was in any way involved in the October 2018 killing. The White House has continued to stand by the prince, despite a classified CIA assessment which concluded that the Saudi royal ordered Mr Khashoggi’s assassination.
Meanwhile, a senior aide to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, slammed Saudi Arabia for a “complete lack of transparency” over the investigation into Mr Khashoggi’s death. Fahrettin Altun, Mr Erdoğan’s communications director, demanded that the suspects be extradited to Turkey to stand trial, a demand that Saudi Arabia has ignored.
“Over the past four months, the Saudi authorities have been less than forthcoming in their dealings with their Turkish counterparts and the international community,” Mr Altun said.
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 of them.
However, the proceedings have continued in secret and no evidence against the men has been made public.
Agnes Callamard, a UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial measures, said that Saudi authorities had held a secret second hearing in the men’s cases without releasing any details of the proceedings. She said the hearing had taken place on Jan 31 and criticised the fact that there is “insufficient public attention placed on the proceedings” and that the media are not present.
Hatice Cengiz, Mr Khashoggi’s fiancée, said yesterday that she hopes King Salman, the crown prince’s father, “has a conscience” and supports Turkey’s investigation into the killing. The alleged intercepted conversation was between Crown Prince Mohammed and
‘The Saudi authorities have been less than forthcoming in their dealings with their Turkish counterparts’
Turki Aldakhil, a senior aide. Mr Aldakhil said the claim that they discussed killing Mr Khashoggi was “categorically false”.
Mr Aldakhil was until recently the general manager of Al Arabiya, a stateowned television network in Saudi Arabia. Saudi media reports have suggested that he may be named as the next ambassador to the UAE.
Even as Saudi Arabia has tried to put the Khashoggi case behind it, it has faced fresh controversy over the jailing and alleged torture of female activists who campaigned for the right to drive.
A Saudi official said: “We again deny any involvement on the part of the crown prince in the heinous murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is moving forward with its investigation and has already indicted a number of officials linked to the crime.
“We are focused on uncovering the full truth and ensuring complete accountability.”