BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

US report on Khashoggi death expected to single out Saudi crown prince-sources

A general manager of Alarab TV, Jamal Khashoggi, looks on during a press conference in the Bahraini capital Manama, on December 15, 2014. The pan-Arab satellite news broadcaster owned by billionaire Saudi businessman Alwaleed bin Talal will go on air February 1, promising to “break the mould” in a crowded field.AFP PHOTO/ MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH (Photo by MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH / AFP) (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED AL-SHAIKH/AFP via Getty Images)

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

ovp test

mLife Diagnostics LLC: Oral Fluid Drug Testing

Male shot by female at Shreveport apartment

Class to create biodiverse backyard

Rules for outbursts at Caddo School Board Meeting

Testing widget old system

Lorenzo shared

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The Biden administration is expected to release a declassified U.S. intelligence report on Thursday finding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, four officials familiar with the matter said.

The release would represent the latest move by U.S. President Joe Biden to realign ties with Riyadh after years in which Washington largely gave its key Arab ally and major oil producer a pass on its human rights record, intervention in Yemen’s civil war and other issues.

President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House he has read the report and that he expected to speak soon by phone with Saudi Arabian King Salman. It would be their first phone conversation since Biden took over the presidency.

The report is likely to point the finger at Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for involvement in Khashoggi’s death in October 2018.

Biden is shifting U.S. policy away from the cozy relationship that the White House of former president Donald Trump had with the crown prince. Biden is working to bring contact with Riyadh back along traditional lines after four years under Trump.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday Biden would only have communications with the 85-year-old Saudi king and said the declassified Khashoggi report was being readied for release and will come out soon.

The 59-year old Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist, was lured to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018, and killed by a team of operatives linked to the crown prince, the kingdom’s de facto ruler. They then dismembered his body. His remains have never been found.

Riyadh eventually admitted that Khashoggi was killed in an “rogue” extradition operation gone wrong, but it denied any involvement by the crown prince. Five men given the death penalty for the murder had their sentences commuted to 20 years in jail after being forgiven by Khashoggi’s family.

Four U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the declassified U.S. intelligence report – to which the CIA was the main contributor – assessed that the crown prince approved and likely ordered the murder of Khashoggi, who had used his Washington Post column to criticize the crown prince’s policies.

A classified version of the report was briefed to Congress in late 2018.

But the Trump administration rejected demands by lawmakers and human rights groups to release a declassified version, seeking to preserve cooperation amid rising tensions with Riyadh’s regional rival, Iran, and promote U.S. arms sales to the kingdom.

Biden pledged during the 2020 presidential campaign to reassess U.S.-Saudi ties in part over Khashoggi’s murder. Since taking office, he has ended sales of offensive arms that Riyadh could use in Yemen and appointed a special envoy to boost diplomat efforts to end that country’s grueling civil war.

World

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Cloudy

la

63°F Cloudy Feels like 63°
Wind
0 mph ESE
Humidity
85%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
62°F Cloudy skies. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
2 mph E
Precip
3%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waning Gibbous