Saudi Crown Prince's Entourage Discussed Killing Enemies Before Khashoggi Murder - Reports

Senior Saudi security intelligence officers close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman examined assassination plans for the kingdom's enemies as early as 2017, more than a year before the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The New York Times reported.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th November, 2018) Senior Saudi security intelligence officers close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman examined assassination plans for the kingdom's enemies as early as 2017, more than a year before the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The New York Times reported.

According to the newspaper, in March 2017, Saudi intelligence personnel asked a group of businessman about the use of private companies to kill the kingdom's foes in Iran and, in doing so, sabotage the Islamic republic's economy.

The plan's implementation cost $2 billion, the news outlet added, citing three individuals familiar with the discussions.

The participants of the discussions have considered, in particular, the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, a special forces unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist known for his criticism of Saudi policies, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia's acknowledgment that the journalist had been killed in a fight inside the consulate came after two weeks of denials and growing pressure from Western allies to provide explanations. Turkey, which has conducted a separate probe into the case, claims that Khashoggi was assassinated by a hit squad sent from Saudi Arabia.

On October 26, the Saudi prosecutor general stated that the journalist's assassination had been premeditated, while Istanbul prosecutors said on October 31 that Khashoggi's body had been dismembered and destroyed after the murder.