Share
NEW YORK — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a television interview that he takes “full responsibility” for the grisly killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but he denied allegations that he ordered it.
Asked if he ordered the killing of Khashoggi, who had criticized him in columns for The Washington Post, Prince Mohammed replied: “Absolutely not.”
The slaying was “a mistake,” he said.
Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2, 2018, to collect a document that he needed to marry his Turkish fiancee. Agents of the Saudi government killed Khashoggi inside the consulate and apparently dismembered his body, which has never been found. Saudi Arabia has charged 11 people in the slaying and put them on trial, which has been held in secret. As of yet, no one has been convicted.
A U.N. report asserted that Saudi Arabia bore responsibility for the killing and said Prince Mohammed’s possible role in it should be investigated. In Washington, Congress has said it believes Prince Mohammed is “responsible for the murder.” Saudi Arabia has long insisted the crown prince had no involvement in an operation that included agents who reported directly to him.
Prince Mohammed Also Addressed the Sept. 14 Missile and Drone Attack
“Some think that I should know what 3 million people working for the Saudi government do daily,” the powerful heir told “60 Minutes.” ”It’s impossible that the 3 million would send their daily reports to the leader or the second-highest person in the Saudi government.”
In an interview Thursday in New York, Khashoggi’s fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, told The Associated Press that responsibility for Khashoggi’s slaying “was not limited to the perpetrators” and said she wanted Prince Mohammed to tell her: “Why was Jamal killed? Where is his body? What was the motive for this murder?”
Prince Mohammed also addressed the Sept. 14 missile and drone attack on Saudi oil facilities. While Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels claimed the assault, Saudi Arabia has said it was “unquestionably sponsored by Iran.”
“There is no strategic goal,” Prince Mohammed said of the attack. “Only a fool would attack 5% of global supplies. The only strategic goal is to prove that they are stupid and that is what they did.”
He urged “strong and firm action to deter Iran.”
Fresno County DUI Crash Sends Car Into Embankment Near Highway 99
1 hour ago
US National Guard Troops in Washington to Begin Carrying Weapons, Officials Say
1 hour ago
Oil Prices Rise as Traders Weigh Supply Risks
1 hour ago
US New Home Sales Fall in July, June Sales Revised Higher
1 hour ago
Fresno County Wildfire Burns 3,338 Acres, Evacuation Orders Issued
1 hour ago
Wall Street Slips as Powell-Led Momentum Wanes
2 hours ago
Trump to Sign Orders Aimed at Ending Cashless Bail Policies
2 hours ago
Fresno Police Fatally Shoot Man Armed With Knives After Standoff
18 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Desiree Alayna Cruder

Fresno Police Arrest 16 Drivers in DUI Operation

Fresno County DUI Crash Sends Car Into Embankment Near Highway 99

US National Guard Troops in Washington to Begin Carrying Weapons, Officials Say

Oil Prices Rise as Traders Weigh Supply Risks
