[ad_1]
A former MI6 official said that all the evidence suggested that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and that the theory that undesirable elements of the Saudi army would be responsible was a "flagrant fiction".
Sir John Sawers told the BBC that his assessment was based on conversations with Whitehall's top sources and his knowledge of Turkish intelligence.
These remarks came after Donald Trump announced his death and presumed that Khashoggi, a Washington Post editorialist, would have "very serious" consequences for Saudi Arabia if it was discovered that his leaders had ordered the assassination of the dissident journalist.
Sawers, who was at the head of the British secret service until 2014, also claimed that the Crown Prince would have acted only if he believed he had permission from the White House to behave as he heard.
"I think that President Trump and his ministerial team are realizing the danger that it is dangerous to see people acting with impunity in their relations with the United States," said Mr. Sawers.
"If this is proven, and it seems very likely that this is the case, [Prince Mohammed] order the murder of the journalist, it is a step too much – an objective to which the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States will have to respond. "
He said that the theory of "rogue elements" of Khashoggi's death "Just does not stand the road" and "further undermines the respect of America when it pursues such blatant fiction."
Sawers said to respect the rigor and professionalism of Turkish intelligence services: "The level of detail provided by the sources of Turkish security is so clear that there must be some form of magnetic tape.
He suggested that tensions between Turkey and Saudi Arabia over the past decade would mean that Turkey "will monitor very closely what is happening in Saudi offices. The Consulate General might have been disturbed in one way or another, or the team might have proceeded to the assassination of the assassination that was going on. she could have intercepted.
"The level of detail is very overwhelming for the strike team, and [their reported identities] to show how close they are to the crown prince ".
Sawers's remarks are likely to be treated as incendiary in Washington.
He predicted that members of the Saudi royal family, the business community and conservative religious clerics will benefit from the Crown Prince's involvement in undermining it. "There will be a reaction in Saudi Arabia as a result of this terrible assassination and there will be a correction."
Information in Turkey indicates that Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination brigade with links to the Crown Prince. The Saudis rejected this baseless information, but have not yet explained what had happened to Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who wrote critically about Prince Mohammed's accession to power.
According to British sources, Saudi Arabia could take up to a week to receive and react to a Turkish government report that would detail how Khashoggi was killed by a Saudi team of 15 people.
Turkey is trying to use the information gathered, possibly by bug, to gather other pieces of evidence that it is better able to share with the world to prove its theory. A search is underway in the woods on the outskirts of Istanbul and in another Turkish town near the Mamara Sea, 90 km south of Istanbul.
Turkey has leaked details of Khashoggi's death on the basis of intelligence reports, but the country's foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, said that the raw information, including the audio recordings, had not been released. been communicated to any foreign power, such as Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State. .
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the LBC that there would be "very very serious consequences" for relations between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia if the report on the Khashoggi's assassination was accurate, but he seemed to be moving away from the end of arms sales, pointing out that Saudi Arabia was a key element. strategic partner in the battle to coerce Iran.
According to Hunt, the extent of the British response would depend on how Saudi Arabia reacted to the Turkish conclusions, but it is unclear whether definitive evidence showing the complicity of Prince Mohammed will be published.
It is believed that Turkey may hold information that has not yet been reported and that could go further by revealing those responsible for ordering a group of senior officials to go to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi. There have been rumors that the crown prince will be forced to withdraw, restoring the confidence of foreign investors, but the United States has learned that the Saudis are preparing to blame Major General Ahmed al-Assiri for overstepping his commitments. misunderstanding of the orders given by Prince Mohammed.
The senior officer regularly went to London to explain the reasons for the war in Saudi Arabia to save the Houthi rebels recognized government by the UN.
The British Foreign Office confirmed that UK Middle East Trade Commissioner Simon Penney and UK Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Simon Collis will attend the controversial investment conference in Riyadh next week. A crowd of politicians, bankers and media officials withdrew from the event.
British Secretary of Commerce, Liam Fox, has withdrawn Thursday as a result of the Khashoggi affair. The continued presence of Penney and Collis, highlighting the reluctance of the United Kingdom to undermine all of its relations with Saudi Arabia, was confirmed by a written response to Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards .
Edwards said: "Unambiguously sending the British ambassador to this" Davos in the desert "shows how desperate the Westminster government is to appease the despots. British state agents – whether ministers or diplomats – should not give the rogue Saudi regime the legitimacy of their presence.
Source link
