CIA Concludes Saudi Crown Prince Ordered Murder

USA Today reports:

The CIA has concluded in an assessment that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince ordered the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, according to the Associated Press and Washington Post.

The assessment comes weeks after the Saudi government admitted Khashoggi, a fierce critic of the royal family, was killed in its Turkish consulate at the hands of interrogators. Saudi officials, however, denied that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved or aware of the killing.

The CIA reached its conclusions on intelligence, including phone calls between the crown prince’s brother, Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, and Khashoggi, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed officials.

This week the US sanctioned 17 Saudi officials for the murder, but not the crown prince.