Khaled bin Salman
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Washington on Saturday denied that he had spoken with Jamal Khashoggi by telephone or that he had suggested he go to Turkey "for any reason," after the Washington Post reported that he had done so, citing people familiar with U.S. intelligence.
"I ask the US government to release any information regarding this claim," the ambassador, Prince Khaled bin Salman, said on Twitter.
Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government and a columnist for the Washington Post, was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 when he went there to pick up documents he needed for his planned marriage to a Turkish woman.
Khashoggi had resisted pressure from Riyadh for him to return home. Saudi officials have said a team of 15 Saudi nationals were sent to confront Khashoggi at the consulate and that he was accidentally killed in a chokehold by men who were trying to force him to return to the kingdom.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he had not yet been briefed on the CIA's conclusions regarding the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but that he would speak with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the CIA about the issue later on Saturday.The CIA believes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de-facto ruler, ordered Khashoggi's killing, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.But Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House before flying to California, also reiterated that he had been told the crown prince had not played a role in the journalist's death.Khashoggi’s body injected with clotting agent to ‘leave no blood trace’"We haven't been briefed yet," Trump said. "We will be talking with the CIA later and lots of others. I'll be doing that while I'm on the plane. I'll be speaking also with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo."Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, was killed in October at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul when he went there to pick up documents he needed for his planned marriage.Trump and top administration officials have said Saudi Arabia should be held to account for any involvement in Khashoggi's death and have imposed sanctions on 17 Saudis for their role in the killing.But they have also stressed the importance of Washington's ties with Riyadh, even while U.S. lawmakers have called on the administration to punish Saudi Arabia over the murder. Khashoggi family receives condolences after Riyadh proffers murder culpritsFrom denial to confession in Khashoggi killingCIA believes Saudi crown prince ordered journalist's killing
Trump to discuss Khashoggi murder with Sec of State Pompeo, CIA
The body of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was injected with a “blood clotting agent” in one of the chilling attempts by the “hit squad” to cover-up the brutal murder in the Istanbul consulate as more gory details of the case continue to emerge. According to Turkish security and judiciary officials, Khashoggi was “strangled and killed using a lethal dose of tranquilizers.” Khashoggi, a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, was killed Oct. 2 inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.Video: Absentee funeral prayer for Khashoggi in IstanbulAfter weeks of denying any involvement in the crime, Saudi Arabia later admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate but claimed the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of any plot to murder the journalist.On Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor’s office announced it had charged 11 out of 21 suspects in relation to the murder, seeking the death penalty for five of the suspects. However, new information emerged claiming the slain journalist’s body was injected with a “blood clotting agent” in order to prevent bleeding before the body was dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul so as to not leave behind “a blood trace of the murder.”CIA believes Khashoggi killing ordered by Saudi crown princeAccording to reports, Turkish investigators found traces of "hydrofluoric acid and other chemicals" inside a well at the Saudi consul general's home in Istanbul, suggesting Khashoggi’s body was dissolved in acid and other chemicals.The CIA believes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, complicating President Donald Trump's efforts to preserve ties with a key U.S. ally.The sources said the CIA had briefed other parts of the U.S. government, including Congress, on its assessment, which contradicts Saudi government assertions that Prince Mohammed was not involved.From denial to confession in Khashoggi killing
Khashoggi’s body injected with clotting agent to ‘leave no blood trace’