Slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Two months after Saudi authorities intercepted communication between journalist Jamal Khashoggi and activist Omar Abdulaziz, Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate, CNN reported.
"The hacking of my phone played a major role in what happened to Jamal, I am really sorry to say," Abdulaziz told CNN. "The guilt is killing me."
Khashoggi did not refrain from criticizing Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in over 400 WhatsApp messages with Abdulaziz in which the pair discussed opposition projects.
"He loves force, oppression and needs to show them off," Khashoggi wrote about Salman, "but tyranny has no logic."
Khashoggi dubs Salman a “beast”
"The more victims he eats, the more he wants. I will not be surprised if the oppression will reach even those who are cheering him on," Khashoggi said in a message sent in May.
Dubbing Salman a “beast,” Khashoggi and Abdulaziz started organizing an online youth movement to hold the Saudi administration accountable.
"[Jamal] believed that MBS is the issue, is the problem and he said this kid should be stopped," Abdulaziz told CNN.
Once Khashoggi became aware that his conversations with Abdulaziz were hacked, he wrote “God help us.”
Israeli software used to hack Saudi dissidents
Abdulaziz on Sunday filed a lawsuit against the NSO Group, an Israeli company responsible for the software he says hacked his phone, CNN reported.
“NSO should be held accountable in order to protect the lives of political dissidents, journalists and human rights activists,” said Alaa Mahajna, Abdulaziz’s lawyer.
Court papers state that they will argue that access to the communication between Abdulaziz and Khashoggi “contributed in a significant manner to the decision to murder Mr. Khashoggi.”
The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab noted that Abdulaziz’s phone was hacked by military-grade spyware.
The spyware was invented by Israel’s NSO Group, and is used at the request of Saudi authorities.
Saudi officials invited Abdulaziz to consulate
Two government officials had also invited Abdulaziz to visit the Saudi embassy, saying Salman himself was offering him a job.
"We have come to you with a message from Mohammed bin Salman and his assurance to you," one of the men said to Abdulaziz.
The officials also mention Saud al-Qahtani, a former top aide for Salman who was fired for links to the Khashoggi murder.
"If Saud al-Qathani himself hears your name, he will immediately know and you can meet with Prince Mohammed directly," says one other man.
Abdulaziz followed Khashoggi’s advice and did not visit the consulate, instead only meeting the Saudi officials in public places.
Khashoggi killing
On Oct. 2, Khashoggi went against his own advice and entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a visit that cost him his life.
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed and dismembered shortly after he entered the Saudi consulate.
After weeks of saying he had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration later admitted he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.
The CIA claims that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in messages he sent to leader of killing squad, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday."At least 11 messages to his closest adviser, who oversaw the team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in the hours before and after the journalist’s death in October,” it said, citing a classified CIA assessment.The crown prince told his close circle last August that if they failed to bring back Khashoggi "we could lure him outside Saudi Arabia and make arrangements".Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.Saudi, UAE step up support for PKK terrorists in northeast SyriaSaudi Crown Prince sidelined in G20 family photoAfter weeks of saying he had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration later admitted he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.According to the CIA document, the messages were sent to Saud al-Qahtani, who was the top aide of the crown prince.“Qahtani supervised the 15-man team that killed Mr. Khashoggi and, during the same period, was also in direct communication with the team’s leader in Istanbul, the assessment says,” the Journal reported.Putin warmly greets Saudi crown prince at G20 summitThe U.S. in November put sanctions on 17 people tied to the killing of Khashoggi, including al-Qahtani.In the following days, the CIA concluded that Khashoggi's murder was ordered by the Saudi crown prince.Rejecting the reports, U.S. President Donald Trump, who is accused of close ties with bin Salman, said "may be he did and maybe he didn't".Macron says global experts needed for Khashoggi probesUK PM May to be robust with Saudi Crown Prince on Khashoggi killing
Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi's killing: report
President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Saturday that Turkey's insistence on finding the truth behind the recent killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was not aimed at damaging the Saudi royal family.Speaking to reporters at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Erdogan said that solving the Khashoggi killing would also be in the interest of the Saudi monarchy."We have never seen this as a political issue," Erdogan said. "We want to make sure that the murder is revealed in all aspects and that the perpetrators are tried."The Turkish president added that the killing was a test for the world.Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has strained Saudi Arabia's ties with the West and battered the image overseas of its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge of the murder. After offering numerous contradictory explanations, Riyadh later said Khashoggi had been killed and his body dismembered when negotiations to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia failed.Erdogan has said the killing was ordered by the highest level of Saudi leadership but probably not by King Salman, putting the spotlight instead on the 33-year-old crown prince."We have no interest in harming the Saudi Arabian state or the Saudi royal family. We believe bringing to light all aspects of the murder and prosecution of all perpetrators will be in the interest of Saudi Arabia," he said.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he brought up the Khashoggi issue while at the summit.At a news conference in Buenos Aires, Trudeau said he had a "frank conversation" with the Saudi crown prince at the leaders' dinner on Friday."I spoke to the crown prince to highlight our concerns and the need for better answers on the killing of Khashoggi and the need for cease fire in Yemen," Trudeau said.Western nations are calling for an end to the Saudi-led military campaign in neighboring Yemen, which was launched by Prince Mohammed, as a humanitarian crisis there worsens.Erdogan also said Prince Mohammed had sent his chief prosecutor to Turkey to investigate the Khashoggi killing, but the prosecutor failed to share information with Turkey.Turkey has evidence documenting that Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of the crown prince, was killed in 7-1/2 minutes, Erdogan said. He said Ankara has shared this evidence with all countries who requested it, including the United States, Britain, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
Erdoğan says Khashoggi killing a 'test' for the world
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was sidelined during the official "family photo" of world leaders and other dignitaries at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires on Friday, standing at the far edge of the group portrait and ignored.Prince Mohammed's presence at the international summit has been contentious following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.The crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, quickly exited the stage without shaking hands or talking with other leaders.At center stage was Argentine President Mauricio Macri, hosting this year's summit of G20 industrialized nations.Macri has said accusations that Prince Mohammed was involved in Khashoggi's death could be discussed by world leaders during the two-day summit. Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge of the murder.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prince Mohammed later exchanged a high-five and a handshake and laughed heartily as they took seats next to each other in the main meeting room. 
Saudi Crown Prince sidelined in G20 family photo
French President Emmanuel Macron told Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Friday that international experts need to be involved in the investigations into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to French media reports.Macron’s remarks came during a five-minute exchange with Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the two-day G20 Leaders’ Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.Citing an Elysee official, reports said Macron also stressed the need to find a political solution to the situation in Yemen.“You never listen to me,” Macron is heard telling bin Salman in a short video clip of their meeting posted on the Saudi Gazette newspaper’s Twitter account.“I will listen, of course,” bin Salman replied.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.Senate stepping up criticism of Saudi Arabia: NYTUK PM urges Saudis to cooperate with Turkey
Macron says global experts needed for Khashoggi probes
British Prime Minister Theresa May has urged Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler to hold the killers of Jamal Khashoggi to account and to ensure that Riyadh cooperates fully with Turkey, her office said Friday.May held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires."The prime minister stressed the importance of ensuring that those responsible for the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi are held to account and that Saudi Arabia takes action to build confidence that such a deplorable incident could not happen again,” her office said.May also encouraged bin Salman to ensure that Saudi Arabia will cooperate fully with Turkish authorities and work to “bring both investigations to an acceptable close”.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.May also asked Saudi Arabia to end the conflict in Yemen and “bring relief to millions threatened by famine” during her meeting with the crown prince.Impoverished Yemen has been wracked by conflict since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Arab allies launched a military campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains in Yemen and shoring up the country’s Saudi-backed government.The war has resulted in a collapsed economy and a cholera outbreak that has affected over 1.1 million people.Riyadh has repeatedly accused the Houthis of acting as a proxy force for Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-foe in the region.UK PM May to be robust with Saudi Crown Prince on Khashoggi killingRepublican senator to withhold vote until CIA briefs on Khashoggi‘Trump part of Khashoggi cover-up’
UK PM urges Saudis to cooperate with Turkey
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has suggested that U.S. President Donald Trump is “part of the cover-up as to what happened” in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Clinton, who was also Trump's campaign rival in the 2016 presidential election, kicked off a paid speaking tour with her husband and former President Bill Clinton in Toronto and took the opportunity to attack the president's response to the killing.“We have a president who is part of the cover-up as to what happened in that consulate or embassy when Mr. Khashoggi was murdered,” Clinton said Tuesday.“And we have a president and those closest to him who have their own personal commercial interests,” she added.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, Saudi Arabia admitted weeks later that he was killed there.Trump, who has stated that he plans to maintain relations with Saudi Arabia, has come under criticism from many in Washington who think the U.S. should downgrade its ties with the Kingdom and end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.The president also refused to blame Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the crime after reports emerged that the CIA concluded that the prince ordered the killing, saying "maybe he did, maybe he didn't!"
‘Trump part of Khashoggi cover-up’