Trumps says MbS 'could very well' have known of Khashoggi killing

The brutal killing of the journalist by Saudi operatives would not derail the US-Saudi relationship, Trump said, even if Prince Mohammed bin Salman were found to bear responsibility.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

20 November, 2018

Trump said on Tuesday that the killing of Khashoggi would not derail US-Saudi relations. [AFP]

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could have had "knowledge" of Jamal Khashoggi's murder - the closest the American leader has come yet to blaming the powerful royal for the journalist's killing.

But he pledged that last month's brutal killing of the journalist by Saudi operatives would not derail the US-Saudi relationship, Trump said, even if Prince Mohammed bin Salman were found to bear responsibility.

"It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event - maybe he did and maybe he didn't!" Trump said in a statement.

"We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," he said.

"The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia."

Khashoggi was murdered at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, with US and Turkish intelligence believing Prince Mohammed ordered the killing.

Earlier, a US official has said it is "blindingly obvious" that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in the latest development implicating the powerful royal.

"The idea that it goes all the way to the top is blindingly obvious," the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was quoted as saying in comments to ABC News.

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) concluded last week that the crown prince was behind the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US media reported.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Tuesday that claims by the CIA that Prince Mohammed ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi were false.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist living in exile in the US, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

After persistent denials and numerous contradictory explanations, Riyadh finally admitted Khashoggi was killed in the consulate and his body was dismembered.

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