The news is likely to herald new US sanctions on Saudi Arabia, after Mohammed bin Salman’s role in the journalist’s death has been all but confirmed
Jamal Khashoggi was killed while visiting the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul, Turkey(Photo: Johnny Green/PA Wire)
By Laurie Havelock
February 26, 2021
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, likely approved an operation to “capture or kill” the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a declassified assessment of the killing released to the Congress by US intelligence agencies.
The central conclusion of the report confirms suspicions long held by intelligence officials after the 2 October 2018 murder of Khashoggi, a former Saudi insider in exile in the US who was an outspoken critic of the crown prince’s authoritarian consolidation of power.
The release of the assessment of the report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Friday could escalate pressure on Joe Biden’s administration to hold the kingdom accountable for a murder that drew international outrage.
“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” the ODNI wrote in a partly-redacted four-page summary.
It made the conclusion in light of bin Salman’s “control of decision-making in the kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of [the prince’s] protective detail in the operation, and [his] support for the using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi”.
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control of the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization,” it adds.
The news comes two years after Khashoggi attempted to visit the Saudi consulate in Instanbul to take papers that might have allowed him to marry his Turkish fiancee, Hadice Cengiz.
Though he was assured of his safety in the consulate, an investigation spearheaded by the UN and Turkish authorities found that a team of Saudi agents restrained, killed and then dismembered Khashoggi before smuggling his body out of the building. His remains have not been found since.
The prince said in 2019 he took “full responsibility” for the killing since it happened on his watch, but denied ordering it.
The release of the report is likely to be accompanied by further action from the US president’s administration, which could start with economic sanctions on top Saudi officials.
On Thursday, Mr Biden made a courtesy call to King Salman, the crown prince’s father, but a White House summary of the conversation made no mention of the killing and said instead that the men had discussed the countries’ longstanding partnership.
Former US President Donald Trump’s administration held back the long-awaited report despite a 2019 law passed by Congress requiring its release.
Additional reporting by news wires
By Laurie Havelock
February 26, 2021
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, likely approved an operation to “capture or kill” the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a declassified assessment of the killing released to the Congress by US intelligence agencies.
The central conclusion of the report confirms suspicions long held by intelligence officials after the 2 October 2018 murder of Khashoggi, a former Saudi insider in exile in the US who was an outspoken critic of the crown prince’s authoritarian consolidation of power.
The release of the assessment of the report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Friday could escalate pressure on Joe Biden’s administration to hold the kingdom accountable for a murder that drew international outrage.
“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” the ODNI wrote in a partly-redacted four-page summary.
It made the conclusion in light of bin Salman’s “control of decision-making in the kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of [the prince’s] protective detail in the operation, and [his] support for the using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi”.
“Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control of the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization,” it adds.
The news comes two years after Khashoggi attempted to visit the Saudi consulate in Instanbul to take papers that might have allowed him to marry his Turkish fiancee, Hadice Cengiz.
Though he was assured of his safety in the consulate, an investigation spearheaded by the UN and Turkish authorities found that a team of Saudi agents restrained, killed and then dismembered Khashoggi before smuggling his body out of the building. His remains have not been found since.
The prince said in 2019 he took “full responsibility” for the killing since it happened on his watch, but denied ordering it.
The release of the report is likely to be accompanied by further action from the US president’s administration, which could start with economic sanctions on top Saudi officials.
On Thursday, Mr Biden made a courtesy call to King Salman, the crown prince’s father, but a White House summary of the conversation made no mention of the killing and said instead that the men had discussed the countries’ longstanding partnership.
Former US President Donald Trump’s administration held back the long-awaited report despite a 2019 law passed by Congress requiring its release.
Additional reporting by news wires
Text of the U.S. assessment of Saudi government role in Khashoggi killing
By Reuters Staff
(Reuters) - Following is the text of the redacted report released on Friday by the Office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
By Reuters Staff
(Reuters) - Following is the text of the redacted report released on Friday by the Office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
“Assessing the Saudi Government’s Role in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi,” dated Feb. 11, 2021:
“(U) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
(U) This report is provided by the ODNI. Questions should be directed to the NIO for Near East.
“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad 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 decisionmaking in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi.
• Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control of the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization.
“Assessing the Saudi Government’s Role in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi
“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad 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 decisionmaking in the Kingdom since 2017, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi. Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control of the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization.
• At the time of the Khashoggi murder, the Crown Prince probably fostered an environment in which aides were afraid that failure to complete assigned tasks might result in him firing or arresting them. This suggests that the aides were unlikely to question Muhammad bin Salman’s orders or undertake sensitive actions without his consent.
• The 15-member Saudi team that arrived in Istanbul on 2 October 2018 included officials who worked for, or were associated with, the Saudi Center for Studies and Media Affairs (CSMARC) at the Royal Court. At the time of the operation, CSMARC was led by Saud al-Qahtani, a close adviser of Muhammad bin Salman, who claimed publicly in mid-2018 that he did not make decisions without the Crown Prince’s approval.
• The team also included seven members of Muhammad bin Salman’s elite personal protective detail, known as the Rapid Intervention Force (RIF). The RIF - a subset of the Saudi Royal Guard - exists to defend the Crown Prince, answers only to him, and had directly participated in earlier dissident suppression operations in the Kingdom and abroad at the Crown Prince’s direction. We judge that members of the RIF would not have participated in the operation against Khashoggi without Muhammad bin Salman’s approval.
• The Crown Prince viewed Khashoggi as a threat to the Kingdom and broadly supported using violent measures if necessary to silence him. Although Saudi officials had pre-planned an unspecified operation against Khashoggi we do not know how far in advance Saudi officials decided to harm him.
“We have high confidence that the following individuals participated in, ordered, or were otherwise complicit in or responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi on behalf of Muhammad bin Salman. We do not know whether these individuals knew in advance that the operation would result in Khashoggi’s death.
• (U) Saud al-Qahtani
• Maher Mutreb
• Naifal-Arifi
• Mohammed al-Zahrani
• Mansour Abahussain
• Badr al-Utaybah
• Abdul Aziz Al Hawsawi
• Waleed Abdullah Al Shihri
• Khalid Al Utaybah
• Tha’ar Al Harbi
• Fahd Shiahb Al Balawi
• Meshal al-Bustani
• Turki Al Shihri
• (U) Mustafa Al Madani
• (U) Saif Saad Al
• Ahmed Zayed Asiri
• Abdulla Mohammed Alhoeriny
• Yasir Khalid Alsalem
• Ibrahim al-Salim
• (U) Salah Al Tubaigy
• (U) Mohammed Al Utaybah”
“(U) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
(U) This report is provided by the ODNI. Questions should be directed to the NIO for Near East.
“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad 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 decisionmaking in the Kingdom, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi.
• Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control of the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization.
“Assessing the Saudi Government’s Role in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi
“We assess that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad 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 decisionmaking in the Kingdom since 2017, the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Muhammad bin Salman’s protective detail in the operation, and the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad, including Khashoggi. Since 2017, the Crown Prince has had absolute control of the Kingdom’s security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization.
• At the time of the Khashoggi murder, the Crown Prince probably fostered an environment in which aides were afraid that failure to complete assigned tasks might result in him firing or arresting them. This suggests that the aides were unlikely to question Muhammad bin Salman’s orders or undertake sensitive actions without his consent.
• The 15-member Saudi team that arrived in Istanbul on 2 October 2018 included officials who worked for, or were associated with, the Saudi Center for Studies and Media Affairs (CSMARC) at the Royal Court. At the time of the operation, CSMARC was led by Saud al-Qahtani, a close adviser of Muhammad bin Salman, who claimed publicly in mid-2018 that he did not make decisions without the Crown Prince’s approval.
• The team also included seven members of Muhammad bin Salman’s elite personal protective detail, known as the Rapid Intervention Force (RIF). The RIF - a subset of the Saudi Royal Guard - exists to defend the Crown Prince, answers only to him, and had directly participated in earlier dissident suppression operations in the Kingdom and abroad at the Crown Prince’s direction. We judge that members of the RIF would not have participated in the operation against Khashoggi without Muhammad bin Salman’s approval.
• The Crown Prince viewed Khashoggi as a threat to the Kingdom and broadly supported using violent measures if necessary to silence him. Although Saudi officials had pre-planned an unspecified operation against Khashoggi we do not know how far in advance Saudi officials decided to harm him.
“We have high confidence that the following individuals participated in, ordered, or were otherwise complicit in or responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi on behalf of Muhammad bin Salman. We do not know whether these individuals knew in advance that the operation would result in Khashoggi’s death.
• (U) Saud al-Qahtani
• Maher Mutreb
• Naifal-Arifi
• Mohammed al-Zahrani
• Mansour Abahussain
• Badr al-Utaybah
• Abdul Aziz Al Hawsawi
• Waleed Abdullah Al Shihri
• Khalid Al Utaybah
• Tha’ar Al Harbi
• Fahd Shiahb Al Balawi
• Meshal al-Bustani
• Turki Al Shihri
• (U) Mustafa Al Madani
• (U) Saif Saad Al
• Ahmed Zayed Asiri
• Abdulla Mohammed Alhoeriny
• Yasir Khalid Alsalem
• Ibrahim al-Salim
• (U) Salah Al Tubaigy
• (U) Mohammed Al Utaybah”
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