Khashoggi Murder: Saudi Crown Prince 'crazy', Says US Senator

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Mohammed bin Salman Republican Lindsey Graham described the Saudi crown prince (pictured) as "a wrecking ball"
US senators say they are confident the Saudi crown prince was linked to the murder of a Saudi journalist, following a private CIA briefing.

Senator Lindsey Graham said he had "high confidence" Mohammed bin Salman knew in advance about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

The South Carolina Republican described the Saudi royal as "a wrecking ball" and "crazy" and "dangerous".

The Saudis have charged 11 people but deny the crown prince was involved.

CIA Director Gina Haspel spoke to Senate leaders earlier on Tuesday.

She was absent from last week's briefing by the secretaries of state and defence, angering some in Congress.

Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October. The CIA has concluded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "probably ordered" the killing.

The CIA has evidence he exchanged messages with Saud al-Qahtani, who allegedly oversaw the murder.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis had told senators last week there was no direct evidence of the crown prince's involvement.

President Donald Trump has said the CIA findings on the crown prince were not conclusive. On 20 November he said: "It could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event - maybe he did and maybe he didn't."

Gina Haspel was reportedly angry about the leak of the CIA findings to the media.

Who was Jamal Khashoggi?

As a prominent journalist, he covered major stories including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise of Osama Bin Laden for various Saudi news organisations.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey, 6 May 2018 Jamal Khashoggi had gone to Istanbul to obtain a marriage document
For decades he was close to the Saudi royal family and also served as an adviser to the government.

But he fell out of favour and went into self-imposed exile in the US last year. From there, he wrote a monthly column in the Washington Post in which he criticised the policies of Mohammed bin Salman.
The BBC's Frank Gardner looks at what could happen to the man known as MBS

BBC

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