Seven years after the murder of Saudi Arabian anti-government journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US President Donald Trump protested the innocence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, contradicting US secret service reports.
About seven years after the murder of Saudi Arabian anti-government journalist Jamal Khashoggi, US President Donald Trump confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was innocent, contrary to US secret service reports. Bin Salman knew nothing about Khashoggi’s murder, Trump said Tuesday at the White House during a joint appearance with the heir to the throne. The US president also said that Saudi Arabia would be an “important non-NATO ally” and approved the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the Gulf country.
Trump stressed that the murdered journalist was “very controversial.” Many people won’t like it. But “like it or not, a lot of things are happening, but he (the crown prince) doesn’t know anything about it,” said the US president.
After Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul in 2018, a US intelligence report concluded that bin Salman had approved the murder of the reporter, who wrote for the Washington Post, among other things.
Khashoggi’s widow sharply criticized Trump’s reception of bin Salman. Khashoggi’s body was never found. This case caused great tension between America and Saudi Arabia.
Bin Salman called the murder of the journalist a “mistake”, repeating previous statements. “This was painful and a big mistake and we are doing our best to ensure something like this doesn’t happen again,” said the crown prince, who de facto rules Saudi Arabia. However, he did not take personal responsibility.
The widow wants to meet bin Salman
The widow of murdered journalist Hanan Elatr Khashoggi has demanded a personal apology from bin Salman. “The crown prince said he was sorry, so he had to meet me, apologize and compensate for my husband’s murder,” she wrote on the online service X.
An ABC journalist discussing Khashoggi’s murder rebuked Trump. “You should not embarrass our guests by asking such questions.” Trump also called ABC “fake news” and “one of the worst networks” in the industry. He later described the journalist as a “terrible reporter.” He asked the television regulator to consider revoking the ABC’s license.
