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<\/p>\nSaudi Arabia\u2019s crown prince said he bears responsibility for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives \u201cbecause it happened under my watch,\u201d according to a PBS documentary to be broadcast next week.<\/p>\n
Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom\u2019s de facto ruler, has not spoken publicly about the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The CIA and some Western governments have said he ordered it, but Saudi officials say he had no role.<\/p>\n
The death sparked a global uproar, tarnishing the crown prince\u2019s image and imperiling ambitious plans to diversify the economy of the world\u2019s top oil exporter and open up cloistered Saudi society. He has not since visited the United States or Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility, because it happened under my watch,\u201d he told PBS\u2019 Martin Smith, according to a preview of a documentary, \u201cThe Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia,\u201d set to air on Oct. 1, ahead of the one-year anniversary of Khashoggi\u2019s death.<\/p>\n
After initial denials, the official Saudi narrative blamed the murder on rogue operatives. The public prosecutor said the then-deputy intelligence chief ordered the repatriation of Khashoggi, a royal insider who became an outspoken critic, but the lead negotiator ordered him killed after discussions for his return failed.<\/p>\n
Saud al-Qahtani, a former top royal adviser whom Reuters reported gave orders over Skype to the killers, briefed the hit team on Khashoggi\u2019s activities before the operation, the prosecutor said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Asked how the killing could happen without him knowing about it, Smith quotes Prince Mohammed as saying: \u201cWe have 20 million people. We have 3 million government employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith asked whether the killers could have taken private government jets, to which the crown prince responded: \u201cI have officials, ministers to follow things, and they\u2019re responsible. They have the authority to do that.\u201d Smith describes the December exchange, which apparently took place off camera, in the preview of the documentary.<\/p>\n
A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters in June the Trump administration was pressing Riyadh for \u201ctangible progress\u201d toward holding to account those behind the killing ahead.<\/p>\n
Eleven Saudi suspects have been put on trial in secretive proceedings but only a few hearings have been held. A U.N. report has called for Prince Mohammed and other senior Saudi officials to be investigated.<\/p>\n
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, where he was to receive papers ahead of his wedding. His body was reportedly dismembered and removed from the building, and his remains have not been found.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Saudi Arabia\u2019s crown prince said he bears responsibility for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year by Saudi operatives \u201cbecause it happened under my watch,\u201d according to a PBS documentary to be broadcast next week. Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom\u2019s de facto ruler, has not spoken publicly about the killing inside the Saudi consulate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,19],"tags":[2153,2154,1019,204,1394],"class_list":["post-22759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-regional","tag-jamal-khashoggi","tag-mohammed-bin-salman","tag-saudi-arabia","tag-un","tag-us"],"yoast_head":"\n