U.S. raises pressure on Saudi Arabia over missing journalist

[webfact]

U.S. raises pressure on Saudi Arabia over missing journalist

By Steve Holland and Daren Butler

 

Residence of Saudi Arabia's Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi is pictured in Istanbul, Turkey October 10, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

 

WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump increased pressure on Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to provide information on what happened to missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and said he wanted to get the bottom of what he called "a very serious situation."

 

In a fresh clue, a pro-government Turkish daily on Wednesday published preliminary evidence from investigators it said identified a 15-member Saudi intelligence team involved in Khashoggi's unexplained disappearance on Oct. 2.

 

Pressure appeared to be building worldwide on close U.S. ally Saudi Arabia on the whereabouts of Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi policies, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get documents for his planned marriage.

 

His Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting outside, said he never re-appeared. Turkish sources said they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the building and removed, allegations that Riyadh dismisses as baseless.

 

Trump, in comments in the Oval Office, told reporters he had raised Khashoggi's case with Saudi Arabia "at the highest level" and more than once in recent days.

 

"We're demanding everything," Trump said when asked if he was demanding information from the Saudis. "We want to see what's going on. It’s a very serious situation for us and for this White House ... We want to get to the bottom of it."

 

He said he and his wife, Melania, expect to invite Cengiz to the White House soon.

 

"People saw him go in and didn't see him come out. We're going to take a very serious look at it. It's a terrible thing," Trump said. "This is a bad situation. We cannot let this happen, to reporters, to anybody. We can't let this happen."

 

And in another sign the White House was stepping up pressure, White House national security adviser John Bolton and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday.

 

The White House also said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo followed up with his own call to the Crown Prince, who had forged close ties to the administration, especially Kushner.

 

"In both calls they asked for more details and for the Saudi government to be transparent in the investigation process. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as available," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

 

Khashoggi's fiancée Cengiz was surprised when an American friend told her of Trump's comment about inviting her to the White House, the friend told Reuters. "I think she's in shock, now even more," her friend said.

 

In an essay in the Washington Post on Tuesday, Cengiz implored the president and Melania Trump to "help shed light on Jamal's disappearance."

 

Trump made Saudi Arabia the first stop on his first foreign trip as president in May 2017, but in recent weeks has appeared to sour a bit on Riyadh, complaining directly to King Salman about the cost of American support for the Saudi military and for OPEC oil price increases.

 

SAUDI VISITORS

One of the 15 Saudis identified by name and photo in the report by Turkey's Sabah newspaper is a forensic expert who has worked at the Saudi Interior Ministry for 20 years, according to a LinkedIn profile and Saudi media, and serves on the board of the Saudi Society of Forensic Medicine.

 

Other names and photos of the 15, who Sabah said travelled on diplomatic passports, match officers in the Saudi Army and Air Force, as identified by previous Saudi media reports and in one case a Facebook profile.

 

The Saudi consulate referred Reuters to authorities in Riyadh who have not responded to questions about the 15 Saudis, who arrived in the city hours before Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2.

 

A Turkish security source had previously told Reuters that the 15 Saudis, including some officials, left Turkey later the same day.

 

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that U.S. intelligence had intercepted the communications of Saudi officials discussing a plan to capture Khashoggi, citing an unidentified person familiar with the information.

 

On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said the United States "had no advance knowledge" of such a plan.

 

Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia last year saying he feared retribution for his criticism of Riyadh over the Yemen war and its crackdown on dissent, and since then wrote columns for the Washington Post.

 

Britain's foreign minister called for urgent answers and the chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Corker, who has seen classified intelligence on the case, said information pointed to Khashoggi being killed.

 

"They've got some explaining to do," he said of Saudi Arabia. Corker said he doubted accounts from Saudi officials that security cameras at the consulate did not record any images.

 

"To me ... it feels very much some nefarious activity has occurred by them. But I don't want to rush to judgment," Corker said on Tuesday.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday the United States was ready to help in any way in the investigation.

 

Wednesday's Turkish media reports were the most detailed accounts yet of what they say is the Turkish government's investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance.

 

Sabah newspaper published the names and years of birth of the 15 Saudis it said arrived at Istanbul's Ataturk airport. Twelve of them arrived early on Tuesday, based on photos captured at passport control which it published. The 15 departed at four different times, Sabah reported.

 

It did not say how it obtained the pictures and data.

 

The Sabah report said that the Saudis stayed at the Wyndham and Movenpick hotels in Istanbul, in the same neighbourhood as the Saudi consulate. Both hotels declined to comment.

 

Turkish NTV also broadcast security camera footage on Wednesday that it said showed the men arriving at the airport and checking into a hotel, as well as videos of what it said was a van arriving at the consul general's residence two hours after Khashoggi entered the consulate, about 250 metres (820 ft) away.

 

Aksam newspaper also published blurred photos of a jet arriving in Istanbul before dawn on Oct. 2, carrying what it said were nine members of the Saudi team, as well as images of some of them checking in at a hotel.

 

Aksam said they left their hotel later in the morning. Shortly after midday it said several cars entered the consulate building. A picture of Khashoggi entering the consulate shows the time-stamp 13:14.

 

About two hours later Aksam showed two vehicles, one of them a black Mercedes Vito van with tinted windows and diplomatic plates, leaving the consulate and entering the car park of the residence shortly afterwards.

 

(Reporting by Steve Holland, Roberta Rampton, Jonathan Landay, Patriciz Zengerle, Lesley Wroughton in Washington and Daren Butler, Stephen Kalin and Sarah Dadouch in Istanbul, Writing by Dominic Evans and Sarah Dadouch; Editing by Yara Bayoumy, Grant McCool, Andrews Heavens, William MacLean, Toni Reinhold)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-10-11

[bendejo]

The US will have an investigation (like the joke of the one Kavanaugh had), results will be inconclusive, all done.  Maybe time for DT to go back to Saudi for some more sword dancing.

 

 

[xylophone]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

U.S. raises pressure on Saudi Arabia over missing journalist

Just as they did after 9/11...…….they did nothing then whilst the world watched and waited.

[Rimmer]

A conspiracy troll post has been removed

[Different]

You can run but you can't hide, the terrible way they got rid of him was brainless and stupid.

https://www.dailysabah.com/investigations/2018/10/10/footage-images-surface-of-saudi-intel-team-allegedly-sent-to-target-wp-writer-khashoggi

 

Footage, images surface of Saudi intel team allegedly sent to target WP writer Khashoggi - Daily Sabah.TS

[zaphod reborn]

Intelligence is pointing to Jared leaking security secrets about Khashoggi and giving the green light to MBS to assassinate him.  The NSA should have issued a warning to Khashoggi as he is an American citizen, but was blocked by the Trump administration.  Watch the cover up.  

[stevenl]

52 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

Intelligence is pointing to Jared leaking security secrets about Khashoggi and giving the green light to MBS to assassinate him.  The NSA should have issued a warning to Khashoggi as he is an American citizen, but was blocked by the Trump administration.  Watch the cover up.  

You have any reliable source to back this up?

[Different]

Khashoggi knew before he went inside the consulate his life would be in great danger, he was wearing apple watch 3G which can send location and stream audio to his iphone. 

So, anyone with deceased innocent victim apple account login details would find all about it.

 

RIP.

 

Previously Saudis used batting way to get their opponents untracked, but this time the needle dropped him dead, and they had to dismember his body. Maybe

[zaphod reborn]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

You have any reliable source to back this up?

By "reliable source", I assume you mean the state propoganda machine FauxNews.  As that entertainment channel still claims that Khashoggi is alive, you wouldn't consider anything else as reliable.  If you want to view this with a clear mind, and listen to proper intelligence sources, 

 

Quote

 

Kushner and Mohammed have had private, one-on-one phone calls that were not always set up through normal channels so the conversations could be memorialized and Kushner could be properly briefed.

 

A friend also said that Khashoggi told him he had been approached several times by a businessman close to the Saudi ruling family. The businessman, whom Khashoggi did not name, seemed “keen” to see him every time he visited Washington and told Khashoggi that he would work with the Saudi authorities to arrange his return, the friend said.  WaPo

 

https://youtu.be/uVwe0DCwasE?t=310

 

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, zaphod reborn said:

Intelligence is pointing to Jared leaking security secrets about Khashoggi and giving the green light to MBS to assassinate him.  The NSA should have issued a warning to Khashoggi as he is an American citizen, but was blocked by the Trump administration.  Watch the cover up.  

Jamal didn't have to be an American citizen for such warning as the warning also applies to non-U.S. persons.

Intelligence agencies that discover a threat to a person’s life or safety are obliged by Intelligence Community Directive 191 dated July 21, 2015 to alert the intended target in most cases as long as they can do so without compromising intelligence sources and methods, a new intelligence community directive instructs. https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/2015/08/duty-to-warn/

As yet Trump has made no reference to any such warning.

Trump's response to Jamal missing was, “I am concerned about it. I don’t like hearing about it,”

http://time.com/5419129/saudi-arabia-jamal-khashoggi-trump/

[stevenl]

40 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

By "reliable source", I assume you mean the state propoganda machine FauxNews.  As that entertainment channel still claims that Khashoggi is alive, you wouldn't consider anything else as reliable.  If you want to view this with a clear mind, and listen to proper intelligence sources, 

 

https://youtu.be/uVwe0DCwasE?t=310

 

Since I never watch Fox News, no, don't consider that a reliable source. You could have given the link to MSNBC, and stopped there, really don't need your nonsense.

 

But thanks for the link, which is in no way indicating to Jared leaking state secrets.

 

It is indicating though that intelligence knew his life was in danger, and didn't warn him.

 

In the end I don't think it will matter very much, SA is one of his best friends, and weapons will be sold to them in even greater numbers.

[Srikcir]

27 minutes ago, stevenl said:

It is indicating though that intelligence knew his life was in danger, and didn't warn him.

NSA: White House Knew ‘Disappeared’ Saudi Dissident Was In Danger. Why Didn’t They Protect Him?

"According to the NSA official [speaking to journalist John R. Schindler], this threat warning was communicated to the White House through official intelligence channels."

https://observer.com/2018/10/nsa-source-white-house-knew-jamal-khashoggi-danger/

 

[JemJem]

My guess is Erdogan ordered the killing of the journalist, in order to pin the blame on the Saudis.

 

Seems far-fetched ? I think not. This guy is the most dangerous and poisonous leader. Steve Bannon, whom I dislike, was right when he declared Erdogan as such.

 

The West should do whatever it can to stop this fascist madman.

[PhiloB]

We know when Jamal was killed, in which room he was killed and where the body was taken to be dismembered. If the forensic team are allowed in, they know exactly where to go

- Turkish source

 

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive-1433170798

 

[Stargeezr]

Saudi Arabia. You have some splaining to do, with those images of the guy

entering your place, but not ccctv pics of his leaving, except in one of hose

vehicles heading for private jets with suitecases etc,  not checked for body

parts. Yes and giving the Turks the day off, Not suspicious at all!

Geezer

[AlexRich]

I don't think this guy is missing, he's likely dead. Trump will squeeze some donations from the Saudi's into his offshore bank account ... and it will all be written off as "fake news". 

[Kiwiken]

Saudi Arabia must be called to account. Them and their UAE Allies are global sponsors of terrorism and for a gallon of gas we sweep their involvement under the carpet. Uncover the truth and see how far the sewer pipe goes

[stevenl]

3 minutes ago, Kiwiken said:

Saudi Arabia must be called to account. Them and their UAE Allies are global sponsors of terrorism and for a gallon of gas we sweep their involvement under the carpet. Uncover the truth and see how far the sewer pipe goes

And if the information that USA intelligence knew he was in danger and informed the white house, they also must be called to account.

[stevenl]

6 hours ago, JemJem said:

My guess is Erdogan ordered the killing of the journalist, in order to pin the blame on the Saudis.

 

Seems far-fetched ? I think not. This guy is the most dangerous and poisonous leader. Steve Bannon, whom I dislike, was right when he declared Erdogan as such.

 

The West should do whatever it can to stop this fascist madman.

Seems really, really far fatched with the present information.

[Srikcir]

For what it's worth:

Turkey has informed the U.S. that audio and video evidence in its possession show that missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to the Washington Post. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/12/report-turkey-has-proof-showing-saudi-journalist-khashoggi-was-killed.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/world/europe/turkey-audio-video-khashoggi.html

The US should recall its ambassador to Saudi Arabia for consultation.

Oh, wait. There's no ambassador - just Kushner's personal relationships with MBS.

[zaphod reborn]

20 hours ago, stevenl said:

Since I never watch Fox News, no, don't consider that a reliable source. You could have given the link to MSNBC, and stopped there, really don't need your nonsense.

 

But thanks for the link, which is in no way indicating to Jared leaking state secrets.

 

It is indicating though that intelligence knew his life was in danger, and didn't warn him.

 

In the end I don't think it will matter very much, SA is one of his best friends, and weapons will be sold to them in even greater numbers.

The youtube video from MSNBC hadn't been posted yet, but I had watched it live.  Here is the video which has an interview with Sen. Chris Murphy, on the Foreign Relations Committee, and considered the foremost expert in the Senate on Saudi American relations.  He wasn't able to disclose confidential intelligence, but said there is a report that Jared Kushner was in contact with MBS about getting Khashoggi to return to SA. Also, that Kushner had knowledge of MBS's intent and failed to take steps to warn him. Kushner has a pending request for a $100 milllion investment from SA. Furthermore, there is a report that Trump wanted to retaliate against Khashoggi.  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-donald-trump-journalist-banned-for-criticising-us-president-elect-a7456956.html

 

Sen. Murphy at 5:00 on this video.

 

[stevenl]

14 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

The youtube video from MSNBC hadn't been posted yet, but I had watched it live.  Here is the video which has an interview with Sen. Chris Murphy, on the Foreign Relations Committee, and considered the foremost expert in the Senate on Saudi American relations.  He wasn't able to disclose confidential intelligence, but said there is a report that Jared Kushner was in contact with MBS about getting Khashoggi to return to SA. Also, that Kushner had knowledge of MBS's intent and failed to take steps to warn him. Kushner has a pending request for a $100 milllion investment from SA. Furthermore, there is a report that Trump wanted to retaliate against Khashoggi.  https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-donald-trump-journalist-banned-for-criticising-us-president-elect-a7456956.html

 

Sen. Murphy at 5:00 on this video.

 

Would it surprise me if Jared was involved somehow? No, his own financial interest would have been a lot more important to him.

 

Can't find anything on Trump wanting to retaliate against Khashoggi, I also doubt he would be involved, very much doubt his advisers would be informing him of intel like it seems they had.

[Morch]

On 10/11/2018 at 1:49 PM, zaphod reborn said:

Intelligence is pointing to Jared leaking security secrets about Khashoggi and giving the green light to MBS to assassinate him.  The NSA should have issued a warning to Khashoggi as he is an American citizen, but was blocked by the Trump administration.  Watch the cover up.  

 

".... as he is an American citizen...."

 

He wasn't a US citizen.

[Morch]

On 10/11/2018 at 11:55 PM, JemJem said:

My guess is Erdogan ordered the killing of the journalist, in order to pin the blame on the Saudis.

 

Seems far-fetched ? I think not. This guy is the most dangerous and poisonous leader. Steve Bannon, whom I dislike, was right when he declared Erdogan as such.

 

The West should do whatever it can to stop this fascist madman.

 

My guess is that you're letting your anti-Erdogan agenda cloud your judgement.

[Morch]

On 10/11/2018 at 5:09 PM, Srikcir said:

Jamal didn't have to be an American citizen for such warning as the warning also applies to non-U.S. persons.

Intelligence agencies that discover a threat to a person’s life or safety are obliged by Intelligence Community Directive 191 dated July 21, 2015 to alert the intended target in most cases as long as they can do so without compromising intelligence sources and methods, a new intelligence community directive instructs. https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/2015/08/duty-to-warn/

As yet Trump has made no reference to any such warning.

Trump's response to Jamal missing was, “I am concerned about it. I don’t like hearing about it,”

http://time.com/5419129/saudi-arabia-jamal-khashoggi-trump/

 

 

The directive itself (https://fas.org/irp/dni/icd/icd-191.pdf) provides a somewhat more nuanced version than your post suggests. The obligation is conditioned on more than one issue, and there's quite a bit of maneuvering room for discretion, regardless.

[JemJem]

On 10/13/2018 at 2:54 PM, Morch said:

 

My guess is that you're letting your anti-Erdogan agenda cloud your judgement.

 

Possible ????

 

But, there is so much reason to dislike and to be wary of him. Sadly, he is capable of doing and causing a lot of nasty stuff inside and outside Turkey.

 

[Morch]

28 minutes ago, JemJem said:

 

Possible ????

 

But, there is so much reason to dislike and to be wary of him. Sadly, he is capable of doing and causing a lot of nasty stuff inside and outside Turkey.

 

 

There is, indeed, many real enough reasons to dislike Erdogan - hence, no need to make up imaginary ones.