Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, sought to lure missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and detain him, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The Washington Post columnist has not been heard from since Oct. 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, amid speculation that he was killed by Saudi authorities.
The Washington Post said there are U.S. intelligence intercepts of Saudi officials discussing the plan.
According to some friends of Khashoggi, over the past four months, senior Saudi officials close to bin Salman had called Khashoggi to offer him protection and even a high-level job working for the government if he returned to his home country.
The report said Khashoggi was "skeptical" over the offers and told one of his friends that the "Saudi government would never make good on its promises not to harm him".
Video shows the moment missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2, the last time he was seen before he disappeared.
Footage shows Saudi journalist walking into consulate before disappearing
"He said: ‘Are you kidding? I don’t trust them one bit,’" Khaled Saffuri, an Arab American political activist, was quoted as saying by The Washington Post.
A citizen of Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi served as editor of multiple Saudi newspapers including Arab News and Al-Watan.
During his residency in the U.S., he lived in northern Virginia and was a contributor to The Washington Post.
The Washington Post said in the report that the intelligence about Saudi Arabia’s earlier plans to detain Khashoggi has raised questions about whether the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump should have warned the journalist that he might be in danger.
Eight of the 15 individuals who came to Turkey from Saudi Arabia and are linked with the disappearance of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi have been identified, Turkish security sources said on Wednesday.Jamal Khashoggi was last seen a week ago entering the consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents related to his forthcoming marriage. His fiancée, waiting outside, said he never emerged and Turkish sources said they believe that Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi policies, was killed inside the mission.According to Turkish police, while Khashoggi was inside, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate.US was aware of plan by Saudi officials to capture Khashoggi: Washington PostIstanbul prosecutors are investigating the incident, while the consulate said on Twitter that it was working in coordination with Turkish authorities.Turkey on Monday conveyed its expectation of "full cooperation" from Saudi Arabia in the search for the missing journalist.Saudi Arabia on Tuesday invited Turkish experts and relevant officials to visit the consulate, according to diplomatic sources.Saudi officials ask Turkish authorities to defer consulate search for missing journalistUS ready to assist on missing Saudi journalist Khashoggi: PenceFifteen Saudis in journalist Khashoggi’s case identifiedNo proof Khashoggi left Saudi consulate, says fiancée
Turkey identifies eight of 15 individuals linked with disappearance of Saudi journalist
"Intelligence agencies have a ‘duty to warn’ people who might be kidnapped, seriously injured or killed, according to a directive signed in 2015. The obligation applies regardless of whether the person is a U.S. citizen. Khashoggi was a U.S. resident," it added.
A former senior intelligence official who did not want to be named told The Washington Post: "Capturing him, which could have been interpreted as arresting him, would not have triggered a duty-to-warn obligation."
"If something in the reported intercept indicated that violence was planned, then, yes, he should have been warned," the official was quoted as saying.
The Washington Post has claimed that the United States knew about a ploy by Saudi officials to capture journalist Jamal Khashoggi before he went missing.“Before Khashoggi’s disappearance, U.S. intelligence intercepted communications of Saudi officials discussing a plan to capture him,” the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the case.Jamal Khashoggi was last seen a week ago entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents related to his forthcoming marriage. His fiancée, waiting outside, said he never emerged and Turkish sources said they believe that Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi policies, was killed inside the mission.Saudi officials ask Turkish authorities to defer consulate search for missing journalist“It was not clear whether the Saudis intended to arrest and interrogate Khashoggi or to kill him, or if the United States warned Khashoggi that he was a target.”A Turkish security source had previously said that a group of 15 Saudi nationals, including some officials, arrived in Istanbul and entered the consulate on Oct. 2, the same day Khashoggi was there, and later left the country.Saudi officials have denied sending a 15-man squad to Istanbul on the day Khashoggi disappeared, stating that the only group dispatched to Turkey was comprised of investigators who arrived on Saturday to help find Khashoggi.US ready to assist on missing Saudi journalist Khashoggi: PenceKhashoggi left Saudi Arabia last year saying he feared retribution for his criticism of Saudi policy over the Yemen war and its crackdown on dissent, and since then wrote columns for the Washington Post newspaper.The Turkish government says it has seen no evidence supporting the Saudi claim that Khashoggi ever left the consulate alive.Khashoggi’s fiancée backed this statement in a piece she penned for The Washington Post."This much is true: He entered the consulate, and there’s no proof that he came out," wrote Hatice Cengiz.Fifteen Saudis in journalist Khashoggi’s case identifiedWashington ready to assist in Khashoggi investigationU.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday that Washington is ready to help in any way in the investigation of the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Pence was asked on the Hugh Hewitt syndicated radio program if Washington would send FBI technicians to the Saudi consulate in Turkey if Saudi Arabia requested it. "I think the United States of America stands ready to assist in any way," Pence said.No proof Khashoggi left Saudi consulate, says fiancée
US was aware of plan by Saudi officials to capture Khashoggi: Washington Post
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the warning process, declined to comment on whether Khashoggi had been contacted, according to The Washington Post.
Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation on the fate of Khashoggi, 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.
According to his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi first arrived at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Sept. 28. After being told his documents would be ready in a week, Khashoggi went to London and returned to Istanbul on Oct. 1.
Khashoggi called the consulate and was told "that documents are being prepared" and he could come to the consulate. He went to the diplomatic building on Oct. 2 with Cengiz but was not seen after entering it.
Saudi officials have asked Turkish authorities to defer the search of the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul in their investigation regarding the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, requesting them to reschedule for a later date, according to Turkish security sources.Turkey said on Tuesday that it would search Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul where Saudi journalist Khashoggi vanished last week.Khashoggi was last seen on Oct. 2 entering the consulate to get documents related to his forthcoming marriage. His fiancée, waiting outside, said he never emerged and Turkish sources said they believe Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi policies, was killed inside the mission.According to Turkish police, while Khashoggi was inside, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate.Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia last year saying he feared retribution for his criticism of Saudi policy over the Yemen war and its crackdown on dissent, and since then wrote columns for the Washington Post newspaper.Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday called on Riyadh to prove its claim that Khashoggi, left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, while the Washington called on Saudi Arabia to support an investigation into his disappearance.Saudi Arabia has dismissed claims that it killed or abducted Khashoggi as baseless accusations.US ready to assist on missing Saudi journalist Khashoggi: PenceSaudi Arabia to supply about 4 mln bbls of extra oil to India in NovFifteen Saudis in journalist Khashoggi’s case identifiedNo proof Khashoggi left Saudi consulate, says fiancéeTrump yet to speak to Saudis about missing journalist
Saudi officials ask Turkish authorities to defer consulate search for missing journalist
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday the United States is ready to help in any way in the investigation of the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Pence was asked on the Hugh Hewitt syndicated radio program if Washington would send FBI technicians to the Saudi consulate in Turkey if Saudi Arabia requested it. "I think the United States of America stands ready to assist in any way," Pence said. Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on Oct. 2. Fifteen Saudis in journalist Khashoggi’s case identifiedNo proof Khashoggi left Saudi consulate, says fiancéeTrump yet to speak to Saudis about missing journalist
US ready to assist on missing Saudi journalist Khashoggi: Pence
The fiancée of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has publicly stated that there is no proof he left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul he entered on Oct. 2."This much is true: He entered the consulate, and there’s no proof that he came out," wrote Cengiz in The Washington Post, the paper Khashoggi wrote for before he went missing.Cengiz pleaded for help from the U.S. president and first lady to clear up the circumstances of his disappearance."At this time, I implore President Trump and first lady Melania Trump to help shed light on Jamal’s disappearance. I also urge Saudi Arabia, especially King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to show the same level of sensitivity and release CCTV footage from the consulate," she added.Trump yet to speak to Saudis about missing journalistTelling how she and Khashoggi were planning a wedding and that he went to the consulate specifically to arrange for this, Cengiz said she did not suspect any harm could be done to him at a diplomatic mission as this would be "a violation of international law to harm, arrest or detain people."After waiting for him for three hours outside the consulate building, and hearing nothing, Cengiz stressed she "was overcome with fear and concern.""I texted a few friends to inform them, and I asked about Jamal at the consular building. I received an answer that further fueled my fears: Jamal had already left, they told me, possibly without my noticing," she wrote.Saudi journalist's disappearance bears marks of Saudi, Egypt, UAEShe praised the efforts of Turkish authorities, saying: "I’ve witnessed the work of the Turkish authorities as they monitor the situation closely. I am confident in the abilities of Turkish government officials."According to Turkish police, while Khashoggi was inside, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate.Istanbul prosecutors are investigating the incident, while the consulate said on Twitter that it was working in coordination with Turkish authorities.Turkey on Monday conveyed its expectation of "full cooperation" from Saudi Arabia in the search for the missing journalist.Saudi Arabia on Tuesday invited Turkish experts and relevant officials to visit the consulate, according to diplomatic sources.Cameras show no footage of Khashoggi leaving Saudi consulate, say Turkish security forcesBritain asks Saudis to explain what happened to missing journalist
No proof Khashoggi left Saudi consulate, says fiancée