Saudi Arabia has drawn a firm line against efforts to remove Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as international pressure intensifies over the case.
Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told the BBC in Riyadh that the kingdom’s leadership could not be the subject of disparaging debate. He said King Salman and the crown prince were “a red line” and insisted Saudi Arabia would not tolerate attacks on its monarch or heir apparent.
Al-Jubeir also rejected suggestions that the crown prince was involved in Khashoggi’s death. He said investigations were under way and that those responsible would be punished.
Khashoggi was killed on October 2 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a death that has triggered a global outcry. The Saudi minister described the killing as the work of a “rogue operation” carried out by intelligence agents, disputing reports in the US media that the CIA believed the crown prince could only have ordered it.
He urged Turkey to release all evidence connected to the killing and stop leaking information. He also warned that any US sanctions against Saudi Arabia would be short-sighted.
The remarks came after the US Congress called for an investigation into whether the crown prince had a role in the murder. In a statement on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said Mohammed bin Salman “could very well” have known about the killing, though he also defended Washington’s relationship with Riyadh.
Trump said Saudi Arabia had spent “billions of dollars in leading the fight against Radical Islamic Terrorism” and warned that canceling arms contracts would benefit Russia and China. He added that the United States intended to remain a partner of Saudi Arabia to protect American interests, as well as those of Israel and other regional allies.
The president later said he would meet Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit in Argentina next week if the crown prince attended.
On Tuesday, Republican Senator Bob Corker and Democrat Bob Menendez issued a statement for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee calling for a second investigation focused specifically on the crown prince. They said the review should determine whether a foreign person was responsible for “an extrajudicial killing, torture or other gross violation” of human rights.
The request was made under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act and requires a response within 120 days.
