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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the Saudi authorities had staged the "worst camouflage operation ever" in the assassination of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi this month.
Asked by a reporter from the White House Oval Office about the aftermath of the Khashoggi massacre, Trump replied, "They had a very bad original concept. This went wrong and the concealment was one of the worst in the history of concealment ".
Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 sparked a global scandal and severely strained relations between Riyadh and Washington. Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was an American resident and columnist for the Washington Post.
Trump's comments on the incident in recent days range from threats to Saudi Arabia with "very serious" consequences and mentioning possible economic sanctions, to more conciliatory remarks highlighting the the country's role as an ally of the United States against Iran and Islamist militants, as well as a major buyer. American arms.
On Tuesday, Trump said the Khashoggi case had been badly handled by the Saudi authorities. "Bad deal, should never have been thought of. Someone really messed up. And they had the worst coverage ever, "said Trump.
Riyadh initially denied having knowledge of Khashoggi's fate before declaring that he had been killed during a fight at the consulate, a reaction that sparked skepticism from several Western governments, putting strained their relationship with the world's largest oil exporter.
The kingdom has since modified parts of its official murder discourse, reinforcing international concern.
Khashoggi Murder Graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2JdjuNH
Royal Saudi family: tmsnrt.rs/2CzrEyJ
Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, Ezgi Erkoyun, Daren Butler, Ali Kucukgocmen and Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul and Susan Heavey in Washington; Written by David Dolan and Alistair Bell; Edited by Yara Bayoumy and Will Dunham
