Four-page executive summary says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of Middle East Eye and Washington Post columnist
The Biden administration released a long-awaited declassified assessment by US intelligence agencies on Friday that concluded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is responsible for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
A royal family insider turned critic, Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018, in a case that significantly tarnished the reputation of the kingdom’s de facto ruler, also known as MBS.
The four-page executive summary on the intelligence community’s findings concludes 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 decision making 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,” the report said.
Middle East Eye is publishing the executive summary below.