Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
So grave is the fallout from the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi that King Salman has felt compelled to intervene, five sources with links to the Saudi royal family said.
Last Thursday, Oct. 11, the king dispatched his most trusted aide, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, governor of Mecca, to Istanbul to try to defuse the crisis.
World leaders were demanding an explanation and concern was growing in parts of the royal court that the king's son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to whom he has delegated vast powers, was struggling to contain the fallout, the sources said.
During Prince Khaled's visit, Turkey and Saudi Arabia agreed to form a joint working group to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance. The king subsequently ordered the Saudi public prosecutor to open an inquiry based on its findings.
Airbus said its defence chief Dirk Hoke will no longer attend the Future Investment Initiative conference in Saudi Arabia, the latest senior industry executive to skip next week's event amid concern about the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The European aerospace group said it was monitoring the situation and international discussions carefully."A guideline has been issued to abstain from high profile engagements at this point in time. However, we believe it is important to maintain engagement and dialogue in a country which hosts about 1,000 of our employees," a spokesman said.UK academic calls for Saudi sanctions in Khashoggi caseKhashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist critical of Riyadh's policies, disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkey believes he was murdered and his body removed. Saudi Arabia has denied that.The investment summit, dubbed Davos in the Desert, in Riyadh typically attracts executives from some of the world's largest companies and media organizations.Many of those slated to attend, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, have cancelled their participation, but the Saudis have said they plan to move forward with the conference, scheduled for Oct. 23-25. New York museums to stop using Saudi money for programsSaudi may blame adviser for Khashoggi killing: report
Airbus Defence and Space chief to skip Saudi investment conference
"The selection of Khaled, a senior royal with high status, is telling as he is the king's personal adviser, his right hand man and has had very strong ties and a friendship with (Turkish President) Erdoğan," said a Saudi source with links to government circles.
Since the meeting between Prince Khaled and Erdoğan, King Salman has been "asserting himself" in managing the affair, according to a different source, a Saudi businessman who lives abroad but is close to royal circles.
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about the king's involvement in helping to supervise the crisis. A spokesman for Prince Khaled referred Reuters to government representatives in Riyadh.
The international community should introduce diplomatic sanctions against Saudi Arabia over the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said a prominent UK-based academic and political commentator on Friday.Dr. Daud Abdullah, who is also the director of the Middle East Monitor in London, said: "There is an issue of criminal accountability for those who ordered it [the alleged murder of Khashoggi] and for those who executed it."The Washington Post journalist has disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. He has since been feared dead.Speaking to Sky News channel, Abdullah drew parallels between the alleged murder in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and the nerve-agent attack in Salisbury, U.K.Turkey has not shared audio recordings with anyone, FM says"There is also a need for diplomatic sanctions the type of which we saw being imposed upon Russia in the Salisbury affair," Abdullah said."It cannot be accepted that we did this in terms of Russia after the poisoning in Salisbury, the violation of British sovereign rights," he said.The Salisbury nerve-agent attack targeted former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal earlier this year.Abdullah said he last saw Khashoggi in a conference in September in London, adding the journalist's self-imposed exile proved his fear of the Saudi authorities as he was an open critic of the Saudi government.U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said, "Unless the miracle of all miracles happens, I would acknowledge that he’s dead."UK says any response over Khashoggi case would be 'considered'Family of Saudi journalist considers him 'missing'Saudi may blame adviser for Khashoggi killing: report
UK academic calls for Saudi sanctions in Khashoggi case
Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and leading critic of Prince Mohammed, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Turkish officials say they believe the Saudi journalist was murdered there and his body removed, allegations which Saudi Arabia has strongly denied.
Initially the king, who has handed the day-to-day running of Saudi Arabia to his son, commonly known as MbS, was unaware of the extent of the crisis, according to two of the sources with knowledge of the Saudi royal court. That was partly because MbS aides had been directing the king to glowing news about the country on Saudi TV channels, the sources said.
That changed as the crisis grew.
Turkey has not shared any audio recordings with anyone, its foreign minister said on Friday, dismissing reports that Ankara had passed on audio evidence of the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist to the United States.Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also told reporters Turkey has evidence and information obtained from its investigation into Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance on Oct. 2.Turkish authorities have an audio recording which indicates that Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a Turkish official and a security source told Reuters this week. Saudi Arabia has denied Turkey's allegation that Khashoggi was killed at the consulate and his body removed.UK says any response over Khashoggi case would be 'considered'"Turkey has not given a voice recording to Pompeo or any other American official," Çavuşoğlu told reporters on a visit to Albania, when asked about a report it had passed on information to the United States and its Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who held emergency talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week."We will share the results that emerge transparently with the whole world. We have not shared any information at all with any country."The disappearance and likely death of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, has caused an international outcry and strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the West.Saudi may blame adviser for Khashoggi killing: reportPresident Donald Trump said on Thursday he believes Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he wanted to get to the bottom of what happened.Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for the remains of Khashoggi more than two weeks after he vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters on Thursday. US lawmakers seek sanctions on Riyadh over KhashoggiSaudi response to Khashoggi case raises questionsFETÖ structure in AlbaniaÇavuşoğlu said Albania showed an example of “powerful solidarity” after the defeated July 15, 2016 military coup attempt orchestrated by FETÖ and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.However, he stressed there is a “very serious” FETÖ structure in Albania and said Turkey expects extradition of the terror group’s members.Ankara also accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.The terror group also runs a network of private schools in foreign countries.‘Turkey requested extradition of 419 FETÖ fugitives’
Turkey has not shared audio recordings with anyone, FM says
"Even if MbS wanted to keep this away from the king he couldn't because the story about Khashoggi's disappearance was on all the Arab and Saudi TV channels watched by the king," one of the five sources said.
"The king started asking aides and MbS about it. MbS had to tell him and asked him to intervene when Khashoggi’s case became a global crisis," this source said.
Since he acceded to the throne in January 2015, the king has given MbS, his favourite son, increasing authority to run Saudi Arabia. But the king's latest intervention reflects growing disquiet among some members of the royal court about MbS's fitness to govern, the five sources said.
MbS, 33, has implemented a series of high-profile social and economic reforms since his father's accession, including ending a ban on women driving and opening cinemas in the conservative kingdom.
British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Friday that allegations regarding the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be totally unacceptable if true but any response by Britain would be "considered"."Part of our reaction will depend on the Saudi reaction, and whether we sense that they are taking it as seriously as we are taking it. But this is a very, very serious matter," Hunt told BBC radio."Our relationship with Saudi is a strategic relationship as well. Our response will be considered... (but) in the end, if these stories are true, we have to be absolutely clear, it would not be consistent with our values."Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh denies the allegations.New York museums to stop using Saudi money for programsFamily of Saudi journalist considers him 'missing'Saudi may blame adviser for Khashoggi killing: report
UK says any response over Khashoggi case would be 'considered'
But he has also marginalized senior members of the royal family and consolidated control over Saudi's security and intelligence agencies.
His reforms have been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, a purge of top royals and businessmen on corruption charges, and a costly war in Yemen.
Khashoggi's disappearance has further tarnished the crown prince's reputation, deepening questions among Western allies and some Saudis about his leadership.
"Even if he is his favourite son, the king needs to have a comprehensive view for his survival and the survival of the royal family," said a fourth Saudi source with links to the royal court.
"In the end it will snowball on all of them."
Saudi officials did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum said Thursday they will no longer use Saudi money to run programs that were initially supported by entities tied to the Saudi government, according to The New York Times.The two programs were a three-month-long exhibit on Syrian refugees at the Brooklyn Museum along with a seminar on Middle East art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, both part of a yearlong Arab Art Education Initiative.Recordings reveal Khashoggi tortured then dismembered while still alive“While this conversation and a subsequent public colloquium were to be supported by external funds, in light of recent developments, we have decided that the Museum will itself fund this event,” Daniel H. Weiss, the Met’s president and chief executive officer, said in a note to participants that was obtained by the Times.The programs were being organized by Stephen Stapleton, a London-based artist who runs an arts initiative called Edge of Arabia, which is supported by the Saudi government and funded through their state-run oil company Aramco.One of 15 Saudis that targeted Khashoggi dies in suspicious car accident“We are fully understanding and supportive of our partner organizations in the Arab Art Education Initiative when it comes to decisions around funding," Stapleton said in a statement.Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Evidence is mounting that the journalist was killed and dismembered by Saudi nationals who flew into Istanbul the same day.On Wednesday, crime scene investigation units arrived at the official residence of Saudi Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi around 4.40 p.m. local time (1340GMT). Al-Otaibi had left Turkey for Riyadh on Tuesday.Officials from a joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case early Thursday after searching the residence as well as the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of Khashoggi’s fate, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S. and the UK -- have expressed their desire that the matter should be elucidated as soon as possible.
New York museums to stop using Saudi money for programs
MISCALCULATION
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied any role in Khashoggi's disappearance. But the sources familiar with the royal court said the reaction from the United States, an ally for decades, had contributed to the king's intervention.
"When the situation got out of control and there was an uproar in the United States, MbS informed his father that there was a problem and that they have to face it," another source with knowledge of the royal court said.
The crown prince and his aides had initially thought the crisis would pass but they "miscalculated its repercussions", this source said.
Turkish officials have made clear they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate, and two Turkish sources have told Reuters police have audio recordings to back up that assertion.
The family of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi considers him "missing" until given proof otherwise, U.S. broadcaster CNN reported Thursday.Motasem Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist’s cousin and the family’s spokesperson, told CNN in a statement that the family does not have "legal or official proof" of his death.Saying he believes the investigation will conclude quickly, Motasem called on the media to only use official sources on Jamal’s disappearance.He said Jamal represented his country, family and profession at the highest level, adding he was “never a dissident".Motasem added that the Khashoggi family has been in close contact with the Saudi government “at the highest level".Recordings reveal Khashoggi tortured then dismembered while still aliveJamal Khashoggi has been missing since Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.On the same day of Khashoggi's disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.On Wednesday, crime scene investigation units arrived at the official residence of Saudi Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi around 4.40 p.m. local time (1340GMT). Al-Otaibi had left Turkey for Riyadh on Tuesday.Officials from a joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case early Thursday after searching the residence as well as the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Saudi may blame adviser for Khashoggi killing: reportTrump says he believes Khashoggi is dead
Family of Saudi journalist considers him 'missing'
U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to President Donald Trump, on Tuesday accused MbS of ordering Khashoggi's murder and called him a "wrecking ball" who is jeopardizing relations with the United States. He did not say what evidence he was basing the allegation on.
Trump said on Thursday he presumed Khashoggi was dead but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened. Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: "Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens."
Trump has previously said "rogue killers" may have been responsible and has ruled out cancelling arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars. On Tuesday, Trump said he had spoken with MbS and that the crown prince told him he did not know what had happened in the consulate where Khashoggi went missing.
The case poses a dilemma for the United States, as well as Britain and other Western nations. Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter, spends lavishly on Western arms and is an ally in efforts to contain the influence of Iran.
Saudi Arabia is considering putting the blame for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on an intelligence officer who is close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the New York Times reported Thursday.Sources told the Times rulers in the kingdom are planning to pin fault on Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, an adviser to the crown prince, in a move that could deflect fingers pointed at the 33-year-old aspirant."The Saudi rulers are expected to say that General Assiri received verbal authorization from Prince Mohammed to capture Mr. Khashoggi for an interrogation in Saudi Arabia, but either misunderstood his instructions or overstepped that authorization and took the dissident’s life," two people familiar with the plan told the Times on condition of anonymity.Trump says he believes Khashoggi is deadBin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, has been seen by many in the West as a reformer that has brought massive social change and progressive reform to the kingdom.However, his image has been tainted in recent weeks because of the global outcry over the missing journalist.Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Evidence is mounting that the journalist was killed and dismembered by Saudi nationals who flew into Istanbul that same day.Officials from a joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case early Thursday after searching the residence as well as the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul.France suspends political visits to Saudi ArabiaMeanwhile, a wave of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers have taken a stand against Saudi Arabia, demanding answers on Khashoggi's disappearance.Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern introduced a bill in the House of Representatives that would halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia unless Secretary of State Mike Pompeo certifies the kingdom did not order the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. The bill currently has 8 cosponsors from both political parties.After returning from a trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, however, Pompeo said he advised U.S. President Donald Trump to give Saudi officials "a few more days" to continue the investigation.Aide to Prince Salman seen walking into Saudi consulateTrump, along with senior officials in the administration, have defended bin Salman, with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and Middle East advisor, telling the president to stand behind the crown prince, the newspaper reported.The Times said that Saudi had already briefed the U.S. on their plan, and people "close to the White House have already been briefed and given General Assiri’s name."Assiri was previously the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen and had been promoted to a high ranking adviser last year.US lawmakers seek sanctions on Riyadh over KhashoggiSaudi response to Khashoggi case raises questionsPompeo heard recording of Khashoggi ‘murder': Report
Saudi may blame adviser for Khashoggi killing: report
But in a sign of the damage, a succession of international banking and business chiefs, including IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, JP Morgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and Ford Chairman Bill Ford, have pulled out of a high-profile investment conference in Saudi Arabia this month.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday also abandoned plans to attend, as did Britain's trade minister and the French and Dutch finance ministers, putting the event in question.
Saudi officials have said they plan to move forward with the conference, scheduled for Oct. 23-25, despite the wave of cancellations.
Neither JP Morgan nor Ford would elaborate on the reasons for the decision not to attend and did not comment on whether concerns about the disappearance of Khashoggi were a factor.
Lagarde had previously said she was "horrified" by media reports about Khashoggi's disappearance. An IMF spokesperson did not give a reason for her deferring her trip to the Middle East.
TAKING CONTROL
Before the king's intervention, Saudi authorities had been striking a defiant tone, threatening on Sunday to retaliate with greater action against the U.S. and others if sanctions are imposed over Khashoggi's disappearance. A Saudi-owned media outlet warned the result would be disruption in Saudi oil production and a sharp rise in world oil prices.
"Reaction and threats to the possible sanctions of the last 24 hours were still (coming) from the crown prince," the businessman close to royal circles said on Monday. "The king is now holding the file personally ... and the tone is very different."
The king has spoken directly with Erdogan and Trump in recent days. Both the king and his son met U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when he visited Riyadh on Tuesday.
King Salman, 82, spent decades as part of the inner circle of the Al Saud dynasty, which long ruled by consensus. In four decades as governor of Riyadh, he earned a reputation as a royal enforcer who punished princes who were out of line.
Whether he is willing or able to resume that role in this crisis remains unclear, palace insiders say. One source with links to the royal court said the king was "captivated" by MbS and ultimately would protect him.
Still, there is precedent for the king's intervention.
He stepped in this year to shelve the planned listing of national oil company Saudi Aramco, the brainchild of MbS and a cornerstone of his economic reforms, three sources with ties to government insiders told Reuters in August. Saudi officials have said the government remains committed to the plans.
And when MbS gave the impression last year that Riyadh endorsed the Trump administration’s still nebulous Middle East peace plan, including U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the king made a public correction, reaffirming Riyadh's commitment to the Arab and Muslim identity of the city.
Despite these rare instances of pushback, several of the sources close to the royal family said that King Salman had grown increasingly detached from decisions taken by MbS.
"He has been living in an artificially-created bubble," said one of the sources. Lately, though, the king's advisers have grown frustrated and begun warning him of the risks of leaving the crown prince's power unchecked.
"The people around him are starting to tell him to wake up to what's happening," the source said.