US official says 'blindingly obvious' Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi murder

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.

A State Department official made the allegation in comments to ABC News in a report published on Tuesday.

"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.

"There's overwhelming consensus that the leadership is involved - no one is debating it within the government," he added.

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

The official said the CIA assessment of the case uses the words "probably" and "likely" to attribute the murder to the crown prince - reportedly a common practice by the US intelligence agency.

"The CIA report is based on communication intercepts - including prior phone calls between the kill team and aides for the crown prince - and on the ground reporting and analysis," the source said.

The report comes as Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said 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.

The US has sanctioned 17 Saudis for the crime, including close aides of Mohammed bin Salman, and is set to make final conclusions this week over the killing.