Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince May Be Involved in Khashoggi Murder

"The crown prince is the one who is actually running the country at this stage. He's in charge of everything and if anyone is involved, it's him," US President Donald Trump said in an interview.Wall Street Journalon October 23 when asked about the possible involvement of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump said he questioned the crown prince carefully, repeatedly and in many different ways about the killing of Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Türkiye on October 2.

"My first question was, 'Do you know anything about the original plan?' and the Crown Prince said no," Trump said. "I asked where the plan started and he said it was at a lower level."

Asked if he believed the denial, the US President paused for a few seconds and said: "I want to believe them, I really want to believe."

Speaking earlier at the White House, Trump said the Khashoggi killing was a "bad idea from the start. It was poorly executed and then the worst cover-up in history. Someone made a terrible mistake and I think that person is in very big trouble," Trump said. Trump also reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia is a "great ally and one of the biggest investors in the United States."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that 21 Saudis would have their US visas revoked or denied over the journalist's murder. "These sanctions will not be the United States' final answer to this question. The United States will not tolerate this type of reckless action to silence Khashoggi. Neither the President nor I are happy with this situation," Pompeo said.

The US is also considering imposing financial sanctions on Khashoggi's killer. However, Pompeo reiterated that Washington still considers Riyadh an ally and is "not happy" to be against it.

Khashoggi, a journalist who was a frequent critic of the Saudi government and its leaders, fled to the United States last year for fear of reprisals. Riyadh confirmed on October 21 that the journalist had died in a fight inside the consulate in Istanbul but did not know where his body was.

In a speech to parliament yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asserted that the murder of journalist Khashoggi was a "planned conspiracy" and a "political murder". Erdogan demanded that Saudi Arabia extradite 18 suspects to Türkiye to face justice, while affirming that Ankara will continue to investigate to the end.