A Saudi 'Night of the Long Knives'? Prince Salman's crackdown

Netanyahu, the well known peace and world stability lover (excuse the sarcasm, couldn't help myself), finally condemned Khashoggi's murder, but said that the world has more important problems than the gruesome death of the journalist.

Bibi conveniently failed to mention that he happens to be one of those problems.

He didn't miss the opportunity to weave Iran into his rhetoric too, but it's not Iran that is the problem. It's Iran has a problem with Netanyahu's agenda for the region.

Netanyahu finds Khashoggi murder ‘horrendous’, but says Riyadh’s stability too important

After a month of silence, Benjamin Netanyahu has finally spoken out against the murder of the Washington Post columnist ...

US needs ‘handful more weeks’ before sanctioning strategic partner Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi murder

I have to wonder - if Bibi had something to do with Khashoggi's murder? Could it be that "Bibi waited a month" to see where the chips fell, so he could better protect himself and the State of Israel from any fall-out? If the UK was aware of plans to kidnap Khashoggi - three weeks in advance, yet failed to take any action - then surely, Bibi was in on it?

Is it possible, MBS condoned the kidnapping but was "unaware" of the extended plans to assassinate Khashoggi and liquidate his body?

Was Bibi "in" on that extended plan ... and maybe ... the Master-mind behind it? Considering, all the flashback on this murder and the gruesome details of how the body was dismembered and disposed of - has fingers pointed directly to MBS - a serious question needs to be asked, "Does MBS pose "a threat of some kind" to the State of Israel and Bibi's ambitions in expanding Israel's economic and financial interests in the Middle East?" Is Khashoggi's murder - an indirect way of dethroning MBS and his Father - so Bibi can insert someone more reliable and complicit in Israel's interests? What comes to mind, MBS's plans for an elaborate Megacity under his Vision 2030. Is MBS stepping on Bibi's toes? Both opened up terminals for High Speed Trains - on the same day. Is there - a power struggle - here - and Bibi wants to eliminate the competition?


November 4, 2018 - Israeli Minister Heads to Oman, to Promote Rail Line from ‘Israel’ to Gulf
Israeli Minister Heads to Oman, to Promote Rail Line from ‘Israel’ to Gulf

Israeli Transportation and Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz heads to Oman on Sunday to push for a regional rail line that will link Haifa with Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, Israeli media reported.

“The initiative called “Tracks for Regional Peace” is aimed at connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Gulf (the Persian Gulf) by rail via Israel as a land bridge and Jordan as a regional transportation hub,” Katz’s office said last week.

Katz is expected to present the plan when he addresses a regional transportation conference, called the IRU World Congress, which will convene is Muscat from November 6th to 8th.

According to his office, “This is the first time an Israeli Minister has been formally invited to participate in an international conference in Oman.”

“The invitation reflects the strengthening ties between the two countries,” the statement said.

Katz’s visit follows a surprise trip Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made on October 26th, when he met Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said.


* September 25, 2018 - Israel opens high-speed rail link between Tel Aviv Airport and Jerusalem
Israel opens high-speed rail link between Tel Aviv airport and Jerusalem | Reuters

* September 25, 2018 - Saudi Arabia opens high speed train linking Islam's Holiest Cities
Saudi Arabia opens high-speed train linking Islam's holiest cities | Reuters

* Mar 02, 2018 - Saudi Arabia is building a $500 Billion Mega-City
Saudi Arabia is building a $500 billion mega-city that's 33 times the size of New York City

The plan calls for a business and industrial zone that will connect with Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, and may lessen the kingdom's reliance on oil exports.

* October 27, 2017 - New Saudi mega city NEOM is Crown Prince's desert dream
New Saudi mega city NEOM is Crown Prince's desert dream
New Saudi mega-city is prince's desert dream | Reuters

* October 11 2018 - Some Silicon Valley Superstars ditch Saudi Advisory Board after Khashoggi disappearance, some stay silent
Some Silicon Valley Superstars Ditch Saudi Advisory Board After Khashoggi Disappearance, Some Stay Silent


Sunday November 4, 2018 - Saudi Prince Alwaleed: Khashoggi probe will exonerate Leader
Saudi Prince Alwaleed: Khashoggi probe will exonerate leader | Reuters


FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal attends the investment conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a top international businessman from the kingdom, said on Sunday that an official investigation into the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi will exonerate the country's leader.

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a top international businessman from the kingdom, said on Sunday that an official investigation into the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi will exonerate the country’s leader.

On the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” he asked Saudi Arabia to make public as soon as possible the results of the investigation.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist critical of the Saudi government and its de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October.

Prince Alwaleed told Fox News that an official Saudi investigation would show that the crown prince was not involved in Kashoggi’s killing.

“Please let’s give some time for the investigation to finish,” he said. “I ask Saudi Arabia now publicly, through your program, to have the investigation made public as soon as possible so whereby I believe the Saudi Crown Prince will be 100 percent vindicated and exonerated.”
 
November 4, 2018 - Saudi King to make week-long Domestic Tour amid Khashoggi crisis
Saudi king to make week-long domestic tour amid Khashoggi crisis | Reuters



Saudi Arabia's King Salman will embark on a week-long domestic tour on Tuesday, a senior government official told Reuters, as the absolute monarchy faces its worst political crisis in a generation over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

It is the first such trip for the 82-year-old king since he acceded to the throne of the world’s top oil exporter in 2015, according to local media, which reported expected stops in the provinces of Qassim and Hail, both northwest of Riyadh.

Online news site Sabq said the king would launch health, education and infrastructure projects, but few other details were immediately available.

The tour comes as Saudi Arabia faces an international outcry over Khashoggi’s murder a month ago in its consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh initially denied any role in his disappearance, but under pressure from Turkish authorities it eventually identified 18 suspects in the case.

It was not immediately clear if the king’s powerful son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, would be participating in the tour.
 
Mon. November 5, 2018 - Khashoggi’s sons appeal for the return of their father’s body
Khashoggi’s sons appeal for the return of their father’s body

2018_11-5-Salah-Abdullah-KhashoggiDrNu4CWUcAAJJl0.jpg

Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi, the sons of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi [Twitter]

The sons of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi issued an emotional appeal for the return of their father’s body, in their first interview since he was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul over a month ago.

Speaking to CNN Salah and Abdullah Khashoggi, spoke of their family’s pain and anguish while expressing the family’s wish to bury their father in Al-Baqi cemetery in Medina, Saudi Arabia, with the rest of his family.

The sons, who described their father as “courageous, generous and very brave”, revealed details of the infamous meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is widely believed to have ordered the killing of Khashoggi.

“All what we want right now is to bury him in Al-Baqi in Medina with the rest of his family,” Salah, the older of the two sons, said. “I talked about that with the Saudi authorities and I just hope that it happens soon.”

Abdullah described the family’s difficulty in grieving over their father without his body not being found and the changing Saudi authorities’ account of the events leading to his death. The Saudis had initially denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance, they then admitted that he was killed in a fist-fight after which they said he was killed by rogue Saudi agents.

Members of the UK and US intelligence community as well as Turkish officials however believe that the order to kill the Washington Post journalist came from senior members of the royal family, pointing their finger in particular at the direction of the Crown Prince who is widely known as MBS.

Salah expressed confidence in King Salman saying “the King has stressed that everybody involved will be brought to justice. And have faith in that. This will happen. Otherwise Saudi wouldn’t have started an internal investigation.”

The sons rejected accusations that their father was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The allegation made by MBS in a call with US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton. “It’s just labels and people not doing their homework properly, and reading his article and going in depth. It’s easier to stick a label on him,” Abdullah said.

Asked how Khashoggi should be remembered, Salah replied, “as a moderate man who has common values with everyone… a man who loved his country, who believed so much in it and its potential.”

“Jamal was never a dissident. He believed in the monarchy that it is the thing that is keeping the country together. And he believed in the transformation that it is going through.”
 
Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Saudi Media Ignore US Reports on Khashoggi
Farsnews

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Saudi mainstream media completely ignored reports that the CIA has concluded that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, ordered the killing of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi.


Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Arab Daily: Riyadh Plans to Hang Agents to Insulate MbS from Khashoggi's Death
Farsnews

A leading Arabic-language newspaper wrote that Saudi Arabia wants to exonerate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by hanging a number of agents who killed and dismembered prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last month.

The Arabic-language al-Quds al-Arabi quoted Turkish sources as saying on Saturday that Ankara is concerned that Saudi Arabia will execute the agents behind Khashoggi's assassination in a bid to protect bin Salman against any responsibility.

It added that Turkey considers the move as part of a scheme to ruin evidence and documents proving who had ordered Khashoggi's assassination.

According to the paper, the decision to execute 5 agents who were directly involved in Khashoggi's killing was made by Saudi Arabia one day after the Turkish foreign minister said that Khashoggi's case should be studied at an international court.


November 16, 2018 - Saudi Ambassador denies telling Khashoggi to go to Turkey
Saudi ambassador denies telling Khashoggi to go to Turkey | Reuters

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.


Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Report: Turkey to Use Intercepted Saudi Comms to Demolish Khashoggi Cover-up
Farsnews

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Turkey has a complete record of communications in and out of Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate in the week of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, a senior Turkish source told Middle East Eye (MEE). The communications will be used to tear apart Riyadh's latest version of the killing.

The recordings, MEE has learned, have given Turkey a detailed picture of the various operatives, teams and missions issued from Saudi Arabia, and the contents of the communications, the source said, will turn the screw on a Saudi leadership that has sought to insulate itself from the scandal.

According to the source, Turkey intends to drip feed the information gleaned from the communications to the media, as it has been doing ever since Khashoggi was brutally murdered by a team of 15 Saudis on October 2.

The Khashoggi-related conversations that Turkish intelligence intercepted began when the Washington Post columnist first came to his country’s consulate on September 28 in an attempt to get papers required to remarry.

The plan to kill Khashoggi, who was told to return to the consulate four days later, began to be hatched the moment he left the building, the source added.

“We know what happened in the consulate from the day Jamal stepped inside on Friday 28 September, to three days after the murder on 2 October,” the source told MEE.

“We know when the teams arrived, what they discussed with the consul-general, how they prepared themselves, how they were divided into groups, what mission each group had,” the source added.

Key conversations, the source said, were those between Consul-General Mohammad al-Otaibi and Saudi security attache Ahmed Abdullah al-Muzaini.

Muzaini has so far been spared much of the spotlight. It is unknown if he is one of at least 21 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia.

But Turkish newspaper Sabah, which is close to the government, has described Muzaini as the brains behind the plot.

On the day of Khashoggi’s murder, the conversations of one man are especially important.

MEE understands that Maher Abdulaziz Mutrib, the leader of the death squad sent to kill the journalist, made 19 calls to Riyadh on October 2.

Four of those, MEE has learned, were to Saoud al-Qahtani, top aide to Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS).

According to the senior Turkish source, Qahtani was running the operation from the crown prince’s office.

The mission had been signed off by deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri, but operations were largely in Qahtani’s hands, the source noted.

Both Assiri and Qahtani have been removed from their positions and are implicated in the Saudi prosecutor’s latest version of events, which was released on Thursday.

Puzzling to the Turkish source, however, is US intelligence’s knowledge of a phone conversation between Mutrib and Riyadh, where the team leader is apparently heard saying “tell your boss” following Khashoggi’s death.

Those words, which were apparently accompanied by “the deed is done”, were relayed to the New York Times by US intelligence officials.

MEE’s source, who is familiar with all the information Turkey has on the Khashoggi case, said the US’s intelligence expertise and spying technology may have allowed it to reveal more from audio shared between the two countries.

When CIA Chief Gina Haspel visited Turkey on October 23 for consultations over Khashoggi, she apparently arrived with a team of some 35 people.

Amongst them were experts in deciphering recordings, linguists, people familiar with the Saudi accent and people who could enhance audio, the source said.

Turkish intelligence officers were surprised when their US counterparts revealed the “boss” conversation, having missed that in the communications.

But according to the source, they told the Americans it was almost certainly Qahtani that Mutrib was talking to.

The Turks will listen to the tapes again, the source stated, and see what else was missed in the audio’s distortion.

Turkey’s understanding of Saudi movements and plans does not end on October 5, however.

According to the source, on October 15, the day after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's King Salman spoke by phone, Riyadh dispatched two men to Istanbul tasked with covering up the murder.

“After the first phone call between Erdogan and King Salman, Erdogan accepted King Salman’s offer to establish a joint security investigation,” the source said, adding that “the Saudis immediately sent a 15-man team. Two of these were people whose only mission was to destroy the evidence”.

On Monday, Sabah reported that a chemist, Ahmad Abdulaziz Aljanobi, and toxicology expert, Khaled Yahya al-Zahrani, were among an 11-man “cover-up” team sent by Saudi Arabia to Istanbul on October 11.

However, MEE’s Turkish source understands that these two men were part of the second cover-up team, which only arrived after Erdogan and King Salman’s phone call. MEE could not independently verify this claim.

Turkey knew these men were arriving, the source noted, and were aware of the task set out for them.


Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Turkish Official: Khashoggi's Head Sent to Riyadh
Farsnews

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A senior Turkish official said new intelligence shows that head of slain Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist killed by Saudi Arabia in Istanbul last month, has been sent to the Crown Prince MbS in Riyadh.

The Arabic-language Khalij Online newspaper quoted the official as saying on Saturday that Khashoggi was beheaded and his head was sent to Riyadh and other parts of his dismembered body are in Turkey.

"After killing and dismembering Khashoggi's body by the Saudi team, it is not yet clear how his head was transferred to Riyadh, either via plane or via road or sea," it added.

The Turkish official referred to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's special bodyguard Mahir Mutrib, saying that he was one of the main culprits behind the crime and his luggage was not checked at Turkey's airport as he has diplomatic passport and his private plane was not inspected due to diplomatic impunity.


Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Khashoggi’s Body Injected with Clotting Agent to ‘Leave No Blood Trace’
Farsnews

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”, Yenisafak reported.

Khashoggi, a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, was killed October 2 inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkish city of Istanbul.

After 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”.

According 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 Mohammad bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi in Istanbul, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, complicating President Donald Trump's efforts to preserve ties with a key US ally.

The sources stated that the CIA had briefed other parts of the US government, including Congress, on its assessment, which contradicts Saudi government assertions that MbS was not involved.


Sat Nov 17, 2018 - Daily: Turkey Has Second Audio Recording of Khashoggi Killing
Farsnews

The "hit-squad" sent from Saudi Arabia to murder Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul planned out their assassination methodically, contradicting key findings from the Saudi public prosecutor's office, a Turkish newspaper reported.

Abdulkadir Selvi, a columnist at Hurriyet, said Turkish authorities had a 15-minute audio recording where the Saudi team could be heard discussing and reviewing their plan, and reminding each other of their duties.

Selvi added that the strongest evidence of the premeditated nature of the killing could be heard in a seven minute audio recording he reported on last month.

In that recording, Khashoggi's "desperate attempts to survive" could be heard.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said recordings related to the killing of Khashoggi, which Ankara has shared with Western allies, are "appalling", and shocked a Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them, according to local Turkish media.

"We played the recordings regarding this murder to everyone who wanted them from us. Our intelligence organisation did not hide anything. We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Britain," he added.

"The recordings are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin, only someone who takes heroin would do this'," Erdogan stated.

The Turkish president said that the murder of Khashoggi must have been ordered at the highest level of the Saudi government, but added that he did not think King Salman was responsible for the order.

"It must be revealed who gave them the order to murder," Erdogan added, referring to a comment by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman who previously said that the matter "will be clarified".

Saudi Arabia has admitted Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul.


November 16, 2018 - CIA believes Saudi Crown Prince ordered Journalist's Killing: sources
CIA believes Saudi crown prince ordered journalist's killing: sources | Reuters

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.

The CIA’s finding, first reported by the Washington Post, is the most definitive U.S. assessment to date tying Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler directly to the killing.

The Saudi Embassy in Washington rejected the CIA assessment.

“The claims in this purported assessment is false,” a spokeswoman for the embassy said in a statement. “We have and continue to hear various theories without seeing the primary basis for these speculations.”


November 17, 2018 - Trump to discuss Khashoggi murder with Secretary of State Pompeo, CIA
Trump to discuss Khashoggi murder with Secretary of State Pompeo, CIA | Reuters


U.S. President Donald Trump talks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., before his departure to California, November 17, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

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.

“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.
 
CIA reportedly concluded that Khashoggi's murder was ordered by the Saudi Crown Prince, yet, as stated in the article below, "it is unclear to what extent the reported CIA assessment was based on evidence rather than assumptions". That's an interesting turn of events. I thought they'd want the public to look in another direction than the murder.

Yet good old "anonymous sources" reported this, which makes me wonder what WaPo and Reuters (and the forces behind them are up to).

To quote Putin:

“There’s no proof in regards to Russia, but steps are taken. Here, people say that a murder happened in Istanbul, but no steps are taken. People need to figure out a single approach to these kinds of problems,”


Maybe too many people started to question the sanctions on Russia without evidence of their guilt and limited response to Khashoggi's murder, and they need to do something to stop people from asking more questions about the double standard?


CIA ‘concludes with high confidence’ Saudi Crown Prince ordered Khashoggi murder – reports

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey last month, the CIA has concluded, according to anonymous sources who spoke with the Washington Post and Reuters.

The US foreign espionage agency assessed with “high confidence” that the prince was behind the death of the Post columnist, the newspaper reported on Friday evening, citing “people familiar with the matter.” Reuters later cited its own source as saying that the spy agency “had briefed other parts of the US government on its assessment,” which contradicts the official position maintained by both Riyadh and Washington thus far.

Saudi Arabia initially denied that Khashoggi had been killed inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, where he was last seen on October 2. Eventually, however, Riyadh admitted the journalist had died on the premises, blaming it on a “fight”with officials sent to take him home. Khashoggi was living in self-imposed exile in Turkey, having become an outspoken critic of the crown prince.

Writing in the Post last month, Turkish president Recep Erdogan claimed that the order to have the dissident journalist killed “came from the highest levels of the Saudi government,” not naming the crown prince but seemingly implicating him.

Among the evidence examined by the CIA was an alleged phone call between Khashoggi and the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman –the crown prince’s brother– who assured the journalist it was safe to go to the consulate, the Post reported.

Ambassador bin Salman abruptly left Washington on October 11, and was not expected to return, according to reports by multiple media outlets, which were neither confirmed nor denied by Riyadh.

The CIA’s “purported assessments are false,” Fatimah Baeshen, a spokeswoman for the Saudi embassy in Washington, told the Post. “We have and continue to hear various theories without seeing the primary basis for these speculations.”

Later in the evening, Ambassador bin Salman tweeted that the Post failed to print the embassy’s full response, including the statement that he “has never had any phone conversations” with Khashoggi.

“This is a serious accusation and should not be left to anonymous sources,” the ambassador said.

It is unclear to what extent the reported CIA assessment was based on evidence rather than assumptions, such as that the crown prince is the “de facto ruler” of Saudi Arabia.

“The accepted position is that there is no way this happened without him being aware or involved,” the Post quotes an anonymous US official, described as familiar with the CIA’s conclusions.

Among the evidence reportedly obtained by the CIA is the audio recording from a listening device Turkey had placed inside the Saudi consulate, the Post reported. CIA Director Gina Haspel was allegedly given a copy of the audio, said to have been shared with officials from other countries as well.


The US Senate wants to stop providing assistance to the Saudi war on Yemen over the murder.

US Congress Wants to Cut Off Aid to Saudis Over Khashoggi, Yemen War - Reports

Earlier, Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton said that the recently released audio recording allegedly depicting the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in no way implicated the top leadership in Riyadh in the crime.
The Senate is working on legislation to cut off all US assistance to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen, and in reaction to Riyadh's response to the killing of a dissident journalist, Republican Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker has said.
According to the senator, the resolution targeting the Saudis could be voted on before the end of the year.

"Senators are looking for some way to show Saudi Arabia the disdain they have for what has happened, with the journalist, but also concerns about the way Yemen has gone," Corker said, speaking to Reuters on Tuesday.

Commenting on the $110 billion in weapons contracts between Washington and Riyadh prior to the Khashoggi scandal, the senator said that this was something outside the Senate's jurisdiction. "It would be very hard, if a weapons sale came up, to keep it from being undone, at least in the Senate," Corker said.

The senator also informed Reuters that his staff had urged the State Department, the Pentagon and the CIA to brief Congress regarding concerns over Riyadh's pursuit of the war in Yemen and the Khashoggi case. The classified briefing may be held as soon as later this month, Corker explained.

Corker and other key Foreign Relations Committee senators penned a strongly-worded letter to President Trump last month, urging him to consider imposing sanctions "with respect to any foreign person responsible for such a violation related to Mr. Khashoggi" if and when appropriate evidence was found.

In the wake of Jamal Khashoggi's October 2 disappearance, and later suspicions that he was killed by a Saudi hit squad, President Trump repeatedly implied that he would not be willing to jeopardize US arms deal with the Kingdom, even as several of Washington's NATO allies impliedthat they would be doing so.

Last week, the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration would end its air refueling support for Saudi-led coalition warplanes operating in Yemen after President Trump called an August 9 airstrike which hit civilians a "horror show" and accused the coalition of not knowing how to properly use US weapons.

Yemen descended into civil war in late 2014, when the Shiite Houthi militia overthrew the government of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. Saudi Arabia and a coalition of mostly Persian Gulf states began operations to try to restore the Hadi government in March 2015. The Saudi-led coalition's conduct in the war, including the blockade of Houthi-controlled ports, has been condemned by the United Nations for causing a humanitarian disaster. According to UN figures, over 14 million Yemenis face pre-famine conditions. Late last year, the UK-based Save the Children organization estimated that 50,000+ Yemeni children died from starvation in 2017 due to the war.


Trump on the other hand opted for the 'business as usual' approach stating that Saudi Arabia is good for the US economy and helps to create jobs in the US. Well, that's certainly true about some US industries, take the Military Industrial Complex for example.


Trump Calls Saudi Arabia 'Great Ally' Amid CIA Report on Khashoggi Case - Media

Trump opted not to speculate about the role which CIA claims the Saudi prince played in the Khashoggi case, saying that he first needs to confer with the intelligence officials and hear what they have to say.

While the US Central Intelligence Agency reportedly named the Saudi crown prince as the person who ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US President Donald Trump praised Riyadh as "a great ally" of the United States that provides "a lot of jobs and a lot of business and economic development."

"They have been a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development," Trump said as quoted by Politico.

Commenting on the latest developments in Khashoggi case, US President Donald Trump said that he had not been briefed by the CIA yet on the subject, and that he intends to discuss this matter with intelligence officials and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday.

The president also appeared reluctant to speculate about claims of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman being allegedly involved in this matter.

"As of this moment we were told that he did not play a role. We’re going to have to find out what they have to say," Trump remarked.

Earlier, the Washington Post revealed that the CIA had concluded that Khashoggi’s murder was ordered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

A spokesperson for the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC, dismissed the CIA's conclusions as "false."

The Saudi government has characterized Khashoggi's death as a rogue operation and detained 21 suspects, charging 11 of them, with the prosecution demanding the death penalty for five of the accused.
 
November 17, 2018 - Trump calls CIA assessment of Khashoggi murder Premature but possible
Trump calls CIA assessment of Khashoggi murder premature but possible | Reuters

President Donald Trump on Saturday called a CIA assessment blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi “very premature” and said he will receive a complete report on the case on Tuesday.

Trump, on a trip to California, said the killing “should never have happened.” The report on Tuesday will explain who the U.S. government believes killed Khashoggi and what the overall impact of his murder is, Trump said. It was unclear who is producing the report.

Trump also said the CIA finding that bin Salman was responsible for the killing was “possible.”
 
Nov. 21, 2018 - Turkey accuses U.S. of turning blind eye to Saudi killing of Khashoggi
Turkey accuses U.S. of turning blind eye to Saudi killing of Khashoggi

Turkey accused the United States on Wednesday of trying to turn a blind eye to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, and dismissed comments from President Donald Trump on the issue as "comic".

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© Reuters/Osman Orsal FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator holds a poster with a picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul

Trump vowed on Tuesday to remain a "steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia, despite saying that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have known about the plan to murder to Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist.

Of the possibility Prince Mohammed had a hand in the murder, Trump said: "Maybe he did, maybe he didn't". His comments contradicted the CIA, which believes Khashoggi's death was ordered directly by the crown prince, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.

Numan Kurtulmus, the deputy chairman of President Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party, dismissed Trump's assessment. "Yesterday's statement is a comic statement," he told state broadcaster TRT Haber.

"It is not possible for an intelligence agency such as the CIA, which even knows the color of the fur on the cat walking around the Saudi consulate's garden ... to not know who gave this order," he said. "This is not credible either for U.S. public opinion or the world public opinion."

Since Khashoggi's killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month, Turkey has repeatedly said the order came from the "highest levels" of the Saudi government, although it has not directly accused Prince Mohammed.
Saudi Arabia has denied that the crown prince ordered the killing. After offering numerous contradictory explanations, Riyadh said last week Khashoggi had been killed and his body dismembered when "negotiations" to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia failed.

Trump said Saudi Arabia, a major oil producer, was an important business partner and a "great ally" in the fight against Iranian power in the Middle East.

Following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara is not entirely satisfied with the level of cooperation it is receiving from Saudi Arabia regarding the case.

Cavusoglu said Ankara may seek a formal United Nations inquiry if its liaising with Riyadh comes to an impasse.


Nov. 21, 2018 - Trump thanks Saudis after defying calls to punish prince
Trump thanks Saudis after defying calls to punish prince

President Donald Trump publicly thanked Saudi Arabia for plunging oil prices just a day after he was harshly criticized for deciding not to further punish the kingdom for the killing of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump, who made clear in an exclamation-filled statement on Tuesday that he feels that the benefits of good relations with the kingdom outweigh the possibility its crown prince ordered the killing, tweeted on Wednesday that it's "Great!" that oil prices are falling.

"Thank you to Saudi Arabia, but let's go lower!" he wrote from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where he's spending Thanksgiving.

The international crude benchmark has fallen under $65 per barrel from a four-year high of more than $86 in early October as the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Russia have stepped up output. However, OPEC, the cartel of oil-producing countries, could announce production cuts at its Dec. 6 meeting in Vienna, nudging prices upward.

The president on Tuesday condemned the brutal slaying of Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for The Washington Post who had criticized the royal family. Trump described the brutal slaying of Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul as a "horrible crime ... that our country does not condone." But he rejected calls by many in Congress, including members of his own party, for a tougher response, and he dismissed reports from U.S. intelligence agencies that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have at least known about such an audacious and intricate plot.

"It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event," the president said. "Maybe he did and maybe he didn't!"

The statement captured Trump's view of the world and foreign policy, grounded in economic necessity. It began with the words "America First!" followed by "The world is a very dangerous place!"

The U.S. earlier sanctioned 17 Saudi officials suspected of being responsible for or complicit in the Oct. 2 killing, but members of Congress have called for harsher actions, including canceling arms sales.

Trump said "foolishly canceling these contracts" worth billions of dollars would only benefit Russia and China, which would be next in line to supply the weapons. Critics, including high-ranking officials in other countries, denounced Trump's statement, saying he ignored human rights and granted Saudi Arabia a pass for economic reasons.
Asked by a reporter if he was saying that human rights are too expensive to fight for, Trump responded, "No, I'm not saying that at all." But he preferred to focus on Iran rather than any actions by Saudi Arabia. The U.S. needs a "counterbalance" to Iran, "and Israel needs help, too," he said. "If we abandon Saudi Arabia, it would be a terrible mistake."

Trump was roundly criticized by Democrats, but some Republicans weighed in against him, too.

Sen. Rand Paul. R-Ky., said the Trump administration has "blinders on" in comparing Iran and Saudi Arabia and said Trump showed weakness in not standing up to Saudi Arabia.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tweeted: "I never thought I'd see the day a White House would moonlight as a public relations firm for the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is close to Trump, also disagreed with the president's decision, saying America must not lose its "moral voice" on the international stage.

"It is not in our national security interests to look the other way when it comes to the brutal murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi," Graham said.

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, mocked Trump's announcement, tweeting that Trump "bizarrely devotes the FIRST paragraph of his shameful statement on Saudi atrocities to accuse IRAN of every sort of malfeasance he can think of."

Zarif went on to joke that "perhaps we're also responsible for the California fires, because we didn't help rake the forests— just like the Finns do?" He appeared to be referring to recent remarks in which Trump suggested raking the forest floor prevented fires in Finland and would have helped to prevent California's devastating wildfires.

Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey, where the killing occurred, said Khashoggi's death should not be covered up for the sake of maintaining trade ties with Saudi Arabia.

"It concerns a murder," Cavusoglu said. "It is not possible to say, 'Our trade will increase. Let's cover this up. Let's ignore it.'"

Saudi prosecutors have said a 15-man team sent to Istanbul killed Khashoggi with tranquilizers and then dismembered his body, which has not been found. Those findings came after Saudi authorities spent weeks denying Khashoggi had been killed in the consulate.

Trump said King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed "vigorously deny" any knowledge of the planning or execution of the killing. He also said the CIA has not made a conclusive determination about whether the crown prince ordered it.

A U.S. official familiar with the case told The Associated Press last week that intelligence officials had concluded that the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto leader, did order the killing. Others familiar with the case, however, have cautioned that while it's likely the crown prince had a role, there continue to be questions about the degree.

"We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi," Trump said. "In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran."

Trump said he knew some members of Congress would disagree with his decision. He said he would listen to their ideas, but only if they were focused on U.S. national security.

Late last week, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that calls for the suspension of weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, for sanctions on people who block humanitarian access in Yemen or support the Houthi rebels and for mandatory sanctions on those responsible for Khashoggi's death.

Democrats harshly criticized Trump's decision Tuesday and called on Congress to cut off arms sales to Saudi Arabia and end support for Saudi Arabia's war against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, which is facing a humanitarian crisis.

"Standing with Saudi Arabia is not 'America First!'" said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, where Khashoggi lived. "President Trump has sided with a murderous regime over patriotic American intelligence officials."

Democrat Dianne Feinstein of California, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, said Khashoggi was killed by agents of the Saudi government in a "premeditated murder, plain and simple," and she said she would introduce legislation requiring intelligence agencies to release an unclassified public assessment.
 
Sibel Edmonds

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Sibel Edmonds‏ @sibeledmonds Nov 22
More
#Khashoggi #BREAKING BIG!The Former Director Of #Turkey Intelligence Just Announced the Case as : Concoction & Operation Carried Out By #MI6-#CIA. He Also Confirmed The Shady Fiancé as Fake-Operative (Honey Trap)!Please Share & Save the Clip!!Reporting from #Turkey @sibeledmonds


Sibel Edmonds‏ @sibeledmonds Oct 7
#Khashoggi Case Thread: I am going to ‘pin’ this post to use it as an ‘Info Thread’ on the #Khashoggi Case. I am in #Turkey. I’ve been following the case closely and with access to sources & experts here. This is a very ‘sensitive’ criminal case due to ‘Diplomatic Booby Traps’!!!

Sibel Edmonds Retweeted Sibel Edmonds
#Khashoggi #BREAKING BIG!The Former Director Of #Turkey Intelligence Just Announced the Case as : Concoction & Operation Carried Out By #MI6-#CIA. He Also Confirmed The Shady Fiancé as Fake-Operative (Honey Trap)!Please Share & Save the Clip!!Reporting from #Turkey @sibeledmondshttps://twitter.com/sibeledmonds/status/1065570090987474944 …
Sibel Edmonds added,


Sibel Edmonds‏ @sibeledmonds
#Khashoggi Side Note: I have to say I am Surprised, and, ... Worried. Since #JFK This is THE First Time A #President Takes On, Challenges, #CIA. #Trump Has Been Resisting, #CIA #Khashoggi #PsyOp; Openly. THIS, To This Degree, Has NOT Happened Since #JFK. So What will they do?


[B][U]Sibel Edmonds[/U][/B] Retweeted
[IMG]https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1994830959/Twitter_Picture_bigger.JPG[/IMG][U] [B]Sibel Edmonds[/B]‏ @[B]sibeledmonds[/B][/U]

#Khashoggi PsyOp: Here’s Khashoggi As an Operative In #Wikileaks Documents Release On Global Intel File & #Stratfor Remember I started Reporting on “Who Was/Is Khashoggi” Right from the Beginning Of This Shenanigans, Reporting From #Turkey Since The Day 1 of the Case. And more...pic.twitter.com/oYIZZweuug


Sibel Edmonds‏ @sibeledmonds Nov 21

#Khashoggi #Breaking: Just Found Out #Khashoggi Was Not US Legal Resident (Never got Residency In USA.Remember, last week we also broke: Khashoggi, Only months before his consulate trip, got married to an Egyptian Woman, which raises serious questions re: Turkish Fiancé Story!!!

Sibel Edmonds‏ @sibeledmonds Nov 21

Just ask yourself in #Khashoggi Case: 1- Why #MSM knowingly kept lying & stating that he was a US resident? 2-Why #MSM despite knowledge (#WashingtonPost) hid his recent & well-known marriage? & promoted Fiancé Story? 3-Why #MSM Been blacking Out real reason 4 his trip to Turkey?pic.twitter.com/yJGzQ5S5jJ
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10:23 AM - 21 Nov 2018


Sibel Edmonds @sibeledmonds
#Khashoggi #BREAKING from #Turkey- The Former Head of Turkish Military Intelligence General Pekin EXPOSES the Case as #CIA-MI6 Operation & The Turkish Fiancé as FAKE HoneyTrap!!- - - “Cemal Kaşıkçı cinayeti - İstihbarat oyunları CIA ve MI6”
via @YouTube

Cemal Kaşıkçı cinayeti - İstihbarat oyunları CIA ve MI6 Published on Nov 21, 2018 (8:35 min.)


Transatlantik: Cemal Kaşıkçı cinayeti, Suudi veliaht prensin geleceği, Published on Nov 21, 2018 21 Kasım 2018 İstanbul-Washington (29:30 min.) Sibel Edmonds interview
 
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November 24, 2018 - Senior Saudi prince says CIA cannot be trusted on Khashoggi conclusion
Senior Saudi prince says CIA cannot be trusted on Khashoggi conclusion | Reuters

ABU DHABI - A senior Saudi prince cast doubt upon the reported CIA finding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last month, saying the agency could not be counted on to reach a credible conclusion.

“The CIA is not necessarily the highest standard of veracity or accuracy in assessing situations. The examples of that are multitude,” Prince Turki al-Faisal, a senior member of the royal family, told journalists in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The prince, a former Saudi intelligence chief who has also served as ambassador to the United States, said the agency’s conclusion that Iraq possessed chemical weapons before the U.S. invasion in 2003 showed it could be unreliable.

“That was the most glaring of inaccurate and wrong assessments, which led to a full-scale war with thousands being killed,” he said, speaking at an event hosted by the New York-based Beirut Institute.

“I don’t see why the CIA is not on trial in the United States. This is my answer to their assessment of who is guilty and who is not and who did what in the consulate in Istanbul.”

The CIA has concluded that Prince Mohammed ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi, as first reported by the Washington Post, and briefed other parts of the U.S. government on its findings, sources told Reuters last week.

U.S. President Donald Trump has disputed that the agency reached a conclusion on the murder, saying instead “they have feelings certain ways.”

A Turkish newspaper also reported on Thursday that CIA director Gina Haspel signaled to Turkish officials that the agency had a recording of a call in which the crown prince gave instructions to “silence” the journalist.
 
A very interesting development in (sanctuary city) Oregon. Video.

So, it looks like, the Saudi's are trying to keep a low profile since they were openly accused for their part in 911 and secretly extraditing suspects of Saudi Nationality out of the Country, before they go to Court and trial, on a suspected crimes?

I wonder, if this Saudi practice is due to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul? Might also be a way of subtracting any bad press that might interfere in MBS's Youth program?

  • Saudi Arabia is leading a push to keep young people on the right path — and save them from straying on to the wrong one
  • The GCC youth population will reach an expected 65 million by 2030
January 31, 2019 - The message to Arab youth: ‘You are the face of the future’
The message to Arab youth: ‘You are the face of the future’
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The Arab youth need peaceful surroundings, access to education and job opportunities, say experts.

DUBAI: Scientist or terrorist? The choice might seem extreme, but young Arabs are being urged to get involved in fields such as science and technology as part of a push to empower youth in the region and protect them from the risk of recruitment by terrorist groups.
“Space is just one example of a sector in the UAE that has actively empowered youth,” said Sarah Al-Amiri, UAE minister for advanced sciences, at a recent conference on youth and sustainable peace organized by the Trends Research and Advisory think tank in Abu Dhabi and Women in International Security (WIIS), based in Washington, DC.

“We do see a global cry for youth engagement, but active participation is necessary today. Empowering youth to undertake monumental shifts is the key to engaging them.”

Access to all levels of education with reduced cost, or none at all, is a global mandate that all Arab countries need to take on, she said.

“The future is being built for them, and they should be designers of the future, with ownership of it.”

Saudi Arabia has also been leading efforts to deliver change, with 92 percent of young Saudis in last year’s Arab Youth Survey expressing a positive view of the outcome of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030.


Moreover, around 60 percent of citizens in the Kingdom are under the age of 30 and almost two-thirds are considered youth.
The GCC youth population will reach an expected 65 million by 2030.

“Youth is a very important part of our population,” said Dr Ahmed Al-Hamli, president and founder of Trends Research and Advisory.
“We are in a race with the world and youth is the backbone of progress. We aim to empower youth in combating all the challenges and meeting gender equality throughout the world.”

In order to do that, youth need peaceful surroundings, access to education and job opportunities.

“Youth and children are the most vulnerable category in the world because of crises, conflicts and sectarian differences,” Al-Hamli said. “It’s increasing and has become the most dangerous period in the 21st century so far. We believe we can together generate initiatives that lead the youth, focus on them and empower them to serve humanity as a whole.”

WIIS also caters to young people, with specific programs on international peace and security that target graduate students or the next generation of scholars, experts, practitioners and policymakers.

“We hope to expand these programs in the Gulf in the future,” said Dr Chantal de Jonge Oudraat, president of WIIS. “But there is a lack of data and research (on youth contributions), and we need more of it.”

De Jonge Oudraat spoke of the millions of young men and women aged between 10 and 24 who need to have a voice when it comes to peace and security, and the 480 million young men and women who live in fragile and conflict-affected states or areas who need to be represented and participate in peace-building efforts.

The Youth Peace and Security Agenda, launched in December 2015 by the UN Security Council, recognizes the importance of involving youth in conflict prevention. “The issue of young people is an issue of importance, not only for national governments, but the international community at large,” de Jonge Oudraat said.

“Forty-two percent of the world population is below 24, and in Africa and the Middle East, young people are in the majority. In some countries, the percentages are as high as 60 to 70 percent, so the magnitude of the youth population has major national and international social, economic and political ramifications.”

She said that many young people around the world feel frustrated, often excluded and marginalized, which makes them more susceptible to terrorist recruitment. “We’re here to advance all that because it’s not only right thing to do, but it’s also the smart thing to do,” she said.

“If we want to live in a prosperous, more peaceful world, all members of society require respect, consideration and should be able to participate in public life.”

Earlier in October, the UN launched its youth strategy to change the perception surrounding young people.

“For a long time, people would say youth are troublemakers,” said Achaleke Leke, coordinator of the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador Network, who helped develop the strategy. “But if we are a high percentage, then it means there will be no economic development or peace.

“Those who turn to violence are trapped in a space by the failure of governments, and we need to support young people in this process, invest in them and make them see each other as peers to sustain peace within communities.”

According to Aqeel Ahmed, policy officer for the Scottish government and member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, the best ideas often come from youth who are the farthest away from the system.

“We need to see governments treat youth as agents of change, and we need a clear leadership from our governments,” he said. “Youth who are engaged inspire others to get involved as well.”

Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are seen as key to paving the way forward for the region. According to the Misk Foundation, around 1.9 million Saudis will enter the Kingdom’s workforce over the next 10 years, increasing its size by more than a third.

“Our country is rich in its natural resources; we are not dependent solely on oil for our energy needs,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said as part of his Vision 2030.

“Gold, phosphate, uranium and many other valuable minerals are found beneath our lands, but our real wealth lies in the ambition of our people and the potential of our younger generation. They are our nation’s pride and the architects of our future,” he said.
 
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Saudi Arabia has stripped citizenship from Hamza bin Laden, the son of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the interior ministry said in a statement published by the official gazette.

March 1, 2019 - Saudi Arabia strips Osama bin Laden's Son of Citizenship

Saudi Arabia strips Osama bin Laden's son of citizenship
A photograph circulated by the U.S. State Department’s Twitter account to announce a $1 million USD reward for al Qaeda key leader Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden, is seen March 1, 2019. State Department/Handout via REUTERS
A photograph circulated by the U.S. State Department’s Twitter account to announce a $1 million USD reward for al Qaeda key leader Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden, is seen March 1, 2019. State Department/Handout via REUTERS

The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading “to the identification or location in any country” of Hamza, calling him a key al Qaeda leader.

Hamza, believed to be about 30 years old, was at his father’s side in Afghanistan before the September 11 attacks and spent time with him in Pakistan after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan pushed much of al Qaeda’s senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution.

The Saudi decision to strip him of his citizenship was made by a royal order in November, according to a statement published in the Um al-Qura official journal.
 
November 17, 2018 - Trump calls CIA assessment of Khashoggi murder Premature but possible
Trump calls CIA assessment of Khashoggi murder premature but possible | Reuters

President Donald Trump on Saturday called a CIA assessment blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi “very premature” and said he will receive a complete report on the case on Tuesday.

Trump, on a trip to California, said the killing “should never have happened.”
The report on Tuesday will explain who the U.S. government believes killed Khashoggi and what the overall impact of his murder is, Trump said. It was unclear who is producing the report.

Trump also said the CIA finding that bin Salman was responsible for the killing was “possible.”

I find the timing of this announcement to be suspicious - coinciding with U.S. Congress trying to block $8 billion in military sales to the Saudi's?

Defying Trump, U.S. senator moves toward vote to block Saudi arms sales
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez began the formal process on Tuesday of blocking a White House plan for $8 billion in military sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates without the consent of Congress, setting up Senate votes on the matter as soon as this week.

Evidence suggests Saudi crown prince liable for Khashoggi murder: U.N. expert
FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends the opening of the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes/File Photo
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials should be investigated over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi since there is credible evidence they are liable for his death, a U.N. rights investigator said on Wednesday.

Has 'the sacrificial lamb' arrived?: U.N. cites new recordings in Khashoggi murder
Moments before Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered last October, two of his suspected murderers laying in wait at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate fretted about the task at hand, according to a U.N. report published on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia rejects U.N. report in Khashoggi case as baseless: minister tweet
Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs rejected on Wednesday a U.N. report that said there is credible evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other high-level officials are liable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Countries should invoke universal jurisdiction in Khashoggi case: U.N
FILE PHOTO - Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Agnes Callamard waits for a news conference to start in San Salvador, El Salvador, February 5, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

The U.N. investigator into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Wednesday called on countries to invoke universal jurisdiction for what she called the international crime and make arrests if responsibility of individuals is proven.

Turkey says it strongly endorses U.N. report on Khashoggi murder
Turkey strongly endorses the U.N.'s recommendations regarding the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a report by a U.N. rights investigator, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia says UN Khashoggi report contains 'baseless allegations' and 'contradictions'
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Adel Al-Jubeir said the report on Jamal Kashoggi's murder contained “nothing new.” (AFP/File photo)

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that a report by a UN expert on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi contains “baseless allegations” and “contradictions”.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said the report contained “nothing new.”

He said the judicial authorities in the Kingdom are the only ones competent to investigate the case and that a number of suspects have already been arrested.

The report “contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility,” he said on Twitter.
“We strongly reject any attempt to prejudice the Kingdom's leadership or to remove the case from the course of justice in the Kingdom or influencing it in any way.”

The report released Wednesday by UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnes Callamard, said the murder of Khashoggi was the responsibility of the state of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia late last year indicted 11 people for the killing and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against five of them.

Saudi prosecutors said Khashoggi was killed by a “rogue operation” in a botched attempt to repatriate him.

Al-Jubeir said the trials are being attended by representatives from the embassies of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council in addition to Turkey and Saudi human rights organizations.
 
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