WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi – a claim the Saudi government has denied.
That’s according to a U.S. official familiar with the conclusion, who spoke Friday only on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The Trump administration this week sanctioned individuals for their alleged role in the killing, but the intelligence officials’ conclusion bolsters efforts in Congress for a harsher U.S. response.
The Washington Post columnist, who had been critical of the royal family, was killed last month at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish and Saudi authorities say he was killed by a team from the kingdom inside the consulate after he went there to get marriage documents.
(Copyright 2018, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
