CIA concludes Saudi Crown Prince Ordered Khashoggi murder

The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the country’s consulate in Istanbul last month, The Washington Post reported Friday.

The agency has high confidence in its assessment, the newspaper reported.

The CIA reportedly examined multiple sources of intelligence in reaching its conclusion, including a call between the crown prince’s brother Khalid bin Salman and Khashoggi.

Khalid, who is the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., reportedly told Khashoggi, who was a columnist for The Post, that he should go to the country’s consulate in Istanbul to get documents for his marriage to a Turkish woman, offering assurances that he would be safe.

People familiar with the call, reportedly intercepted by U.S. intelligence, told The Post that it wasn’t clear if Khalid knew Khashoggi would be killed when he returned to the consulate, but said that he made the call at the direction of his brother.

Lloyd M’bwana

I’m a Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resource (LUANAR)’s Environmental Science graduate (Malawi) and UK’s ICM Journalism and Media studies scholar. Also University of Malawi (UNIMA) Library Science Scholar. I have been The Malawi Country Manager and duty editor for the Maravi Post since 2019. My duty editor’s job is to ensure that the news is covered properly, that it is delivered on time, and that it is created to the standards set out in the editorial guidelines of the Maravi Post.