Report claims US knew of plan to capture Khashoggi

The US knew of a Saudi plan to seize missing journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post has claimed. It’s reported that American intelligence intercepted communications of Saudi officials discussing a plan to capture Khashoggi, who disappeared last Tuesday.

Citing a person familiar with the communications, the report said that the Saudis were discussing a plan to lure Khashoggi back to the kingdom. This communication was intercepted before he vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkish officials believe Khashoggi, who has been living in self-exile, was killed in the Saudi consulate after which his body was cut into pieces and transported back to the kingdom. They also named 15 Saudi agents who they believe carried out the operation using their diplomatic cover. Yesterday the New York Times reported that the order to kill Khashoggi had come from the top of the ruling family.

Read: As Jamal Khashoggi’s friend and one of the last people to see him before he disappeared, these are my thoughts

According to the report, it is unclear whether the Saudis wanted to capture Khashoggi who was a Washington Post columnist, to interrogate or to kill him. Also it is unknown if the US warned the journalist that he was being targeted by the Saudi regime.

The US has joined the international call for answers from Saudi Arabia for his disappearance. CCTV footage shows Khashoggi entering the Saudi consulate but there is no evidence of him leaving. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has seized on this fact and called on the Saudis to provide evidence that Khashoggi left their embassy.

Where is Jamal Khashoggi?… – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/MiddleEastMonitor]