Donald Trump says Saudi prince could be behind Khashoggi's murder

Trump, in his most severe comments to date, said that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was the main culprit of the operation against Khashoggi . (File)

In his most harsh comments, US President Donald Trump said that the Saudi Crown Prince was responsible for the operation that led to the badbadination of Jamal Khashoggi , exerting pressure on his ally in the global scandal provoked by the journalist's death. 19659006] In the meantime, an adviser to the Turkish President said that Prince Mohammed had "blood on his hands" about Khashoggi, the most brutal language of a person related to Tayyip Erdogan about the de facto ruler of the kingdom in relation to death. The Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Trump's and Councilor Erdogan's remarks.

Riyadh accused a "whimsical operation" of the death of the prominent Saudi journalist, criticizing the Crown Prince, and said the crown prince had no knowledge of the murder. Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he wanted to believe the prince when he said that lower-level officials were to blame for the murder committed at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. But he suggested that the responsibility lies higher: "Well, the prince is directing things over there at this point. He runs things and so, if anyone would, it would be him.

The death of Khashoggi, an American resident, and a Washington Post columnist provoked worldwide indignation and threatened relations between Riyadh and Washington, as well as other Western countries. nations. For Saudi Arabia's allies, the burning question was whether they thought Prince Mohammed, who introduced himself as a reformer, is responsible for the badbadination, a possibility mentioned by several American legislators.

Conflicting Accounts

Saudi Arabia gave conflicting accounts of the killing of Khashoggi. He first denied his death and then declared that Khashoggi – an American resident and Washington Post columnist – had died inside the consulate after a fight. On Sunday, Riyadh described the killing as "a grave and serious mistake", but he sought to protect the crown prince from the growing crisis, saying he was not aware of it.

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized. by 15 Saudi intelligence agents who had boarded two jetliners a few hours earlier. "It's a shame that goes up to Crown Prince (Mohammed bin) Salman. At least five members of the execution team are the right hands of (Mohammed bin) Salman and would not act without his knowledge, "wrote Ilnur Cevik, one of the council's advisers. Turkish Erdogan, in the newspaper Yeni Birlik.

"Even though US President Trump saves (Mohammed bin) Salman, he is seen by the world as a dubious person with Khashoggi's blood on his hands," said Cevik's column. It was not immediately clear whether the Cevik reflected the view of Erdogan, who in his speeches on Tuesday and Wednesday stressed the need for all those responsible – "from those who had ordered it to those who had executed "- to face justice. [19659006] Saudi Arabia agreed to conduct a joint investigation into the killing of Khashoggi with the Turkish authorities. His consulate in Istanbul was searched several days after the journalist's death. As part of the investigation, the Turkish police in Istanbul obtained permission to search a well in the Saudi consulate's garden, said broadcaster NTV, after Saudi officials had previously refused to allow a search.

Response of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia arrested 18 people and fired five senior government officials as part of the investigation. Saud al-Qahtani, one of Prince Mohammed's chief collaborators, was among those fired. According to two sources of information, Qahtani allegedly ordered the badbadination of Khashoggi by ordering Skype.

The death of Khashoggi and the ensuing turmoil have shaken global confidence in his relations with the world's leading oil exporter. In his latest sign of unease, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cbadis said the killing clearly indicated a human rights violation that required a re-examination of Switzerland's links with Riyadh.

"The clues that emerge centimeter by centimeter speak clearly: A violation of human rights and the rule of law," he told the Swiss newspaper Blick. "We need to ask what this means for our bilateral relations. And we will certainly do that. "The German government is discussing how to deal with arms exports to Saudi Arabia that have already been approved but not yet delivered," said government spokesman Steffen Seibert.

France will take the measures if Saudi Arabia feels guilty The killing of Khashoggi is clearly established, said government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux.In addition, Iranian President Hbadan Rouhani, a rival Saudi Arabia, said Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without US protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

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