Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir rejected reports that say Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of a dissident journalist in Istanbul, local media published on Tuesday.
“We, in the Kingdom, know that such allegations about the Crown Prince are totally unfounded, and we reject them categorically,’’ Al-Jubeir told Asharq al-Awsat daily.
U.S. media have recently reported that the CIA has concluded that Mohammed ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a contributing Washington Post columnist and a sharp critic of the Crown Prince.
Khashoggi was killed on Oct. 2 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Al-Jubeir said the reports were “leaks based on assessments and not conclusive evidence’’.
“I would like to emphasise that the leadership of Saudi Arabia is a red line.
“We will not allow attempts to undermine our leadership, from any party and under any pretext,’’ Al-Jubair said, while talking about King Salman and his son.
According to him, justice in this case is a Saudi demand, before it is an international demand.
He also undermined decisions by several countries to impose sanctions on Saudi individuals linked to the murder, saying that the measures are targeting individuals and not the political and economic interests of Saudi Arabia and its allies.
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