Bolton: Khashoggi tape doesn’t implicate Crown Prince
Journalist was murdered October 2 during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul
Singapore - People who have heard a recording of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder in Turkey last month say it doesn’t link Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman to the assassination, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said.
Speaking to reporters in Singapore, where he’s set to attend a regional summit, Bolton said he hadn’t heard the tape himself. When asked if the audio links Saudi Arabia’s crown prince to the killing, Bolton said: “That’s not the conclusion I think that the people who heard it have come to, and that’s certainly not the position of the Saudi government.”
“The president has made it clear he wants to get to the bottom of this,” Bolton said.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that a member of the kill team instructed a superior over the phone to “tell your boss”.
Khashoggi was murdered October 2 during a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish police haven’t been able to locate the Washington Post columnist’s remains despite extensive searches.
The New York Times reported that Turkish officials have said that the audio does not conclusively implicate Prince Mohammad, and American intelligence and other government officials have cautioned that however compelling the recording may be, it is still not irrefutable evidence of his involvement in the death of Mr. Khashoggi.