Saudi Arabia Refutes Information From US Report On Khashoggi Murder - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2021) Saudi Arabia has strongly refuted the information about the alleged role of the kingdom's leadership in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi presented in the report of the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Foreign Ministry said.

On Friday, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence published a declassified report saying that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman had approved an operation to assassinate Khashoggi in Istanbul in 2018.

"The Ministry notes that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia completely rejects the negative, false and unacceptable assessment in the report pertaining to the Kingdom's leadership, and notes that the report contained inaccurate information and conclusions," the SPA state-run news agency reported on late Friday citing the Foreign Ministry.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the kingdom has already convicted and sentenced those responsible for the death of Khashoggi.

"It is truly unfortunate that this report, with its unjustified and inaccurate conclusions, is issued while the Kingdom had clearly denounced this heinous crime, and the Kingdom's leadership took the necessary steps to ensure that such a tragedy never takes place again. The Kingdom rejects any measure that infringes upon its leadership, sovereignty, and the independence of its judicial system," SPA added.