Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in an interview with The Atlantic that it was “obvious” that he had not ordered the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Hashoghi in 2018 in Turkey, contrary to Western governments’ conclusion that the murdered journalist had been killed. he wasn’t important enough to kill.
“I have never read an article by Hashoghi in my life,” Mohammed said, adding that if he sent executioners, he would choose a more valuable target – and better assassins.
“If we did things that way, Kashoggi wouldn’t even be among the top 1,000 on the list. If you are going to have another similar operation, for another person, it must be professional and it must be one of the first 1,000, “he said.
A U.S. intelligence report released last year concluded that the heir to the throne had personally approved the assassination and dismemberment of a US-based journalist who criticized the Riyadh government at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Before winning the 2020 election, President Biden
Joe Biden Biden welcomes UN vote: “Detects Putin’s isolation” Night of defense and national security – US tries to cut Russia’s dial Arabia “to pay the price” for Hashoghi’s assassination and turning the country into a “pariah”.
Mohammed told The Atlantic that “I just don’t care” if Biden misunderstands it, adding: “It’s up to him to think about America’s interests.”
He added that the intelligence linking him to Hashoghi’s murder “hurts me a lot”.
“It hurt me and hurt Saudi Arabia in terms of feelings,” he added.
The Kashoghi incident was the worst thing that has happened to me because it could have ruined all my plans for the country, said the 36-year-old de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia.
“I feel that the human rights law has not been applied to me,” he added.
“Article XI of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.