Turkish security forces surround Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul

[Swordsmyth]

Treasury To Sanction 17 Saudis Over Khashoggi Killing

[Swordsmyth]

White House Weighs Extraditing Turkish Cleric Gulen From US To Appease Erdogan

[enhanced_deficit]

Shock claim: Khashoggi ‘Killer’ Huddled With Team Trump on Toppling Iran

[Swordsmyth]

With Turkey's graphic recording of Khashoggi's final moments finally in the hands of US intelligence agencies, the Washington Post just confirmed what the New York Times first hinted at more than one month ago: That US intelligence agencies believe that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman ordered the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in what is just the latest example of the Trump administration and its intelligence agencies working at cross purposes (the first being, of course, the investigations that eventually coalesced into the Mueller probe).
But instead of focusing on the recording of Khashoggi's murder, the CIA is reportedly in possession of another piece of evidence that it believes incriminates the Crown Prince: A phone call made by Khalid bin Salman, MbS's brother and the kingdom's ambassador to the US, to Khashoggi, during which he promised the journalist that he wouldn't be harmed if he visited the Saudi embassy in Istanbul to pick up the paper needed to marry his Turkish fiance.

Even if MbS didn't plan Khashoggi's murder, Khalid's call to Khashoggi, which the CIA believes was made at the behest of his powerful brother, suggests that the prince was aware of the plot.

In reaching its conclusions, the CIA examined multiple sources of intelligence, including a phone call that the prince’s brother Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, had with Khashoggi, according to the people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence. Khalid told Khashoggi, a contributing columnist to The Washington Post, that he should go to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to retrieve the documents and gave him assurances that it would be safe to do so.
It is not clear if Khalid knew that Khashoggi would be killed, but he made the call at his brother’s direction, according to the people familiar with the call, which was intercepted by U.S. intelligence.
Fatimah Baeshen, a spokeswoman for the Saudi Embassy in Washington, said the ambassador and Khashoggi never discussed “anything related to going to Turkey.” She added that the claims in the CIA’s “purported assessment are false. We have and continue to hear various theories without seeing the primary basis for these speculations.”
The CIA’s conclusion about Mohammed’s role was also based on the agency’s assessment of the prince as the country’s de facto ruler who oversees even minor affairs in the kingdom. “The accepted position is that there is no way this happened without him being aware or involved,” said a U.S. official familiar with the CIA’s conclusions.

Aside from Turkey's infamous recording, the CIA also has a recording of a call that was placed from inside the consulate shortly after Khashoggi's killing. The call was made to Saud al-Qahtani, a close confidant of the Crown Prince who was one of 17 people sanctioned by the Treasury Department earlier this week in connection with the murder.

The CIA also examined a call placed from inside the consulate after the killing by an alleged member of the Saudi hit team, Maher Mutreb, a security official who has often been seen at the crown prince’s side and who was photographed entering and leaving the consulate on the day of the killing.
Mutreb called Saud al-Qahtani, then one of the top aides to Mohammed, and informed him that the operation had been completed, according to people familiar with the call.

Though the international outrage that Khashoggi's murder provoked has rattled the kingdom and its ruler, the CIA's "general assessment" is that MbS will likely hold on to power.

The CIA sees Mohammed as a “good technocrat,” the U.S. official said, but also as volatile and arrogant, someone who “goes from zero to 60, doesn’t seem to understand that there are some things you can’t do.”
CIA analysts believe he has a firm grip on power and is not in danger of losing his status as heir to the throne despite the Khashoggi scandal. “The general agreement is that he is likely to survive,” the official said, adding that Mohammed’s role as the future Saudi king is “taken for granted.”
A spokesman for the CIA declined to comment.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...s-killing-wapo

I see no reason to believe anyone on any side of this incident at this point.

[goldenequity]

Saudis are willing to sacrifice/scapegoat high ranked officials to cover up Khashoggi murder and deflect from the ruling family.

Fares Shehabi MP
This Saudi General was the spokesman of the Saudi war on Yemen,
he used to brag on live TV about his airstrikes on Yemeni people!
Today his own regime sentenced him to death to cover up for MBS’s role in the Khashoggi case! The curse of Yemeni children!






And I very well remember how this motherfucker answered when was confronted over the war crimes in Yemen amid his visit in France:

The'Nimr'Tiger
Hes a criminal, this is how he responded when he was asked about Yemen civilians





Globalist supported ruling Saudi royals won't allow interrogations of such high ranked scape goats abroad, in Turkey, as Ankara demands.
They want to keep it within the house of Saud and behead and silence the alleged culprits before they can talk.
Real mafia. Global scale. Must be destroyed.

[goldenequity]

Karsten Hartog
Saudi Arabia Stealing 65% of Yemen's Oil in Collaboration with Total: Report
https://ahtribune.com/world/north-af...oil-total.html

[goldenequity]

this about sums up my feelings as well.

https://twitter.com/Marwa__Osman/sta...72297798524928

[Swordsmyth]

Germany and France have put 18 Saudis connected with the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on its "entry ban" list, following U.S. sanctions last week. The Saudi government last week identified 21 suspects in the death of the columnist, indicting 11 seeking the death penalty with five. The United States swiftly followed, sanctioning 17 and banning them from any connection with the country.
The German publication Der Spiegel reported that Germany and France said Monday the same 17 would be placed on its entry ban list, plus Saudi Arabia's intelligence head Ahmed Asiri.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the country made its decision after consulting with France and Britain, according to the Financial Times.


More at: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-N...3991542632027/

[Swordsmyth]

Germany Steps Up Action Against Saudi Arabia And Bans All Weapon Sales

[Swordsmyth]

Saudi King Salman stood by the crown prince and heaped praise on the judiciary Monday, in his first public remarks since critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder tipped the country into one of its worst crises.The public prosecutor last week exonerated Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the king's son, of involvement in the murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, but the CIA reportedly concluded he had ordered the assassination.
The prosecutor called for the death penalty against five men, announced indictments against 11 people, and said a total of 21 individuals were in custody in connection with the killing.
"The kingdom was founded on Islamic principles of justice and equality, and we are proud of the efforts of the judiciary and the public prosecution," the 82-year-old monarch said in his annual address to the Shura Council, a top advisory body.
"We ensure that this country will never deviate from implementing God's law without discrimination," he added, without directly addressing the murder of The Washington Post columnist in his speech.
In Saudi Arabia's absolute monarchy, only the king has the authority to oust the powerful crown prince –- who faces intense global criticism over the murder –- but he has repeatedly indicated that he has no intention to do so.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/saudi-kin...131641822.html

[goldenequity]

Guy Elster
BREAKING State Department official who has seen a version of the CIA's assessment on the murder of Khashoggi says it's "blindingly obvious" that Saudi crown prince ordered it
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/blin...i-murder/story

[goldenequity]

this about sums up my feelings as well.

Ragıp Soylu
Was that a joke?

“It is a mean nasty world out there”
Pompeo in response to Trump’s statement which doesn’t differentiate MBS from Saudi Arabia.

(well praise Jesus Mike. He's so proud of you. Keep it up.)


Reuters Top News
Trump says he will stand by Saudi Arabia despite Khashoggi murder
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...-idUSKCN1NP26Y

SouthFront
Trump Releases Official Statement On Khashoggi Murder: Iran Is Guilty
https://southfront.org/trump-release...ran-is-guilty/
The main points of the statement:
- “The world is a very dangerous place!”
- Iran is guilty of destabilizing the situation in the Middle East
- Hezbollah is also guilty
- The Houthis are very guilty that they are resisting to the Saudi invasion in Yemen
- Bashar al-Assad – as always… bloody “dictator”
- Israel – a great country
- The crime against Jamal Khashoggi – “terrible”
- Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder? – “maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”
- Multi-billion deals with Saudi Arabia – remain in force
- Sanctions against Saudi Arabia – what sanctions? Washington already sanctioned “17 Saudis known to have been involved in the murder”. I.e. made no practical steps to punish the Saudi regime.


Disgusting. spit.

https://twitter.com/rezaaslan/status...91727142883329


-----


and his 'other' friends... don't even get mentioned for this. nothing.


Dan Cohen
Israeli sniper shoots @AP cameraman wearing vest marked "PRESS" 600 meters (2,000ft) away from fence
https://www.apnews.com/65bd5c31690342b886ab5b8f72b37e53

[AZJoe]

Trump says he will stand by Saudi Arabia despite Khashoggi murder
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-s...-idUSKCN1NP26Y

SouthFront
Trump Releases Official Statement On Khashoggi Murder: Iran Is Guilty
https://southfront.org/trump-release...ran-is-guilty/
The main points of the statement:
- “The world is a very dangerous place!”
- Iran is guilty of destabilizing the situation in the Middle East
- Hezbollah is also guilty
- The Houthis are very guilty that they are resisting to the Saudi invasion in Yemen
- Bashar al-Assad – as always… bloody “dictator”
- Israel – a great country
- The crime against Jamal Khashoggi – “terrible”
- Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder? – “maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!”
- Multi-billion deals with Saudi Arabia – remain in force
- Sanctions against Saudi Arabia – what sanctions? Washington already sanctioned “17 Saudis known to have been involved in the murder”. I.e. made no practical steps to punish the Saudi regime.

What a disgusting display of sycophant to the psychopath.
The Trump's statement on Khashoggi is like it was written by a half retarded certified neocon psycho.
The Trump statement boils down to -

1. Khasoggi's murder is bad and sad
2. Iran is very bad
3. MBS says he didn't do it
4. Iran is bad, Saudi Wahhabia good.
5. We love the head chopping, terrorist manufacturing, terrorist funding, totalitarian Saudi Wahhabia dictatorship
6. Saudi Wahhabia would stop its war crimes and genocide in Yemen, except they can't, because Iran is bad.
7. Shout out to Israel.
8. Head chopping Saudi Wahabia our friend, and we can sell them weapons to kill Yemenis - means jobs!
9. Iran is therefore guilty!

Could the Trump crawl any further up MBS' ass?
Trump's statement is both embarrassing and disgusting.

[Swordsmyth]

Loss-making South African arms maker Denel has a problem as it fights to survive. Its potential saviour is Saudi Arabia, now drawing fierce criticism following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.But after being mismanaged for years and tainted by a far-reaching influence-peddling scandal, state-owned Denel now needs the kind of help that the deep-pocketed Saudis can provide.
Reuters analysed five years of South African arms export data, spoke to former and current Denel employees and obtained internal Denel presentations on plans to rescue the company.
What emerged is that Saudi Arabia and its allies account for almost half of South Africa's recent arms exports and a significant portion of future orders.
So rejecting Riyadh's $1 billion offer could severely hamper efforts to save Denel, which relies on foreign sales for more than 60 percent of its revenue.
Saudi Arabia is seeking a broad partnership with Denel that would include acquisition of the company's minority stake in a joint venture with Germany's Rheinmetall.
The Saudis - on a drive to build a domestic arms industry as traditional suppliers worry about its human rights record - are keen to close the deal by the end of next month. A source with knowledge of its offer said the kingdom could take its business elsewhere if that does not happen.
Some Denel employees are also keen on a tie-up, seeing it as the only way to rescue the firm, which is struggling to pay salaries. But some South African officials are concerned about doing business with Saudi Arabia.
"Denel depends on the deal. The entire industry depends on the deal," said Helmoed Heitman, a defence analyst. "I think it's 50/50. The pragmatists want to go in, but the Khashoggi thing is bad PR."
With President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ruling African National Congress facing an election next year, the deal promises to become a political issue.
South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, says the Saudi offer should be rejected.


More at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/khash...-business.html

[goldenequity]

'This is Saudi First, Not America First' Rand Paul Responds to White House Statement
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/201...-saudi-arabia/

“The President indicates that Saudi Arabia is the lesser of two evils compared to Iran and so the US won’t punish Saudi Arabia for the brutal killing and dismemberment of a dissident in their consulate. I disagree,” Senator Paul tweeted. “We should, at the very least, NOT reward Saudi Arabia with our sophisticated armaments that they in turn use to bomb civilians.”

https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1064978268154138630

The Kentucky Senator took aim squarely at the White House statement on the issue that was titled “America First!”

Senator Paul tweeted that, “I’m pretty sure this statement is Saudi Arabia First, not America First. I’m also pretty sure John Bolton wrote it.”

https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/1064978272960811008

[AZJoe]

Good tweet, but the WH has been acting as the Saudi PR agent for decades.

[goldenequity]

Glenn Greenwald‏
The reaction to Trump's Saudi statement was so intense because the fairy tale about the U.S. standing up for freedom and human rights in the world is one of the most pervasive and powerful prongs of western propaganda
https://theintercept.com/2018/11/21/...y-orthodoxies/

[Swordsmyth]

Saudi Arabia has tortured and sexually harassed women’s rights activists detained in prison, a new report alleges.
The activists, who have not been named for fear of reprisal, were arrested by Saudi authorities in May in a crackdown ahead of the kingdom’s lifting of the decades-long women’s driving ban.
Prisoners in the kingdom's Dhahban Prison have allegedly been interrogated by masked jailers, with one made to hang for long periods of time from the ceiling, sources told Human Rights Watch.
Several showed physical signs of torture, including difficulty walking, uncontrolled shaking of the hands, and red marks and scratches on their faces and necks.
At least one of the women attempted to commit suicide multiple times, according to testimonies.
The charity said it was unclear whether they were seeking to force the women to sign confessions or merely to punish them for their peaceful advocacy.
The women have had little access to lawyers and are yet to be officially charged, however they have been accused of undermining security and aiding enemies of the state.


Saudi authorities responded to the report by saying Riyadh "does not condone, promote, or allow the use of torture".
While the ill-treatment of men in Saudi detention, including the prominent businessmen and princes who were held for months at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, is common, observers say the torture of female prisoners is unprecedented.
Among the activists and campaigners still being held is Loujain al-Hathloul, a personal friend of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who became the face of the driving movement.

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/saudi-ara...105356786.html

[AZJoe]

[Swordsmyth]

Denmark announced on Thursday that it is suspending future approvals of weapons and military equipment exports to Saudi Arabia, a response to the killing of a U.S.-based journalist and the government's role in the conflict in Yemen.
“With the continued deterioration of the already terrible situation in Yemen and the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, we are now in a new situation,” Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said in a statement, according to Reuters.
Reuters notes that Denmark issued 10 approvals related to weapons and military equipment exports with Saudi Arabia in 2017. A spokesman said that the approvals already granted won't be suspended.

More at: https://thehill.com/policy/internati...over-khashoggi

[goldenequity]

ADL chooses to launch this piece now? (and does it through CIA mouthpiece Long War Journal)...


https://www.longwarjournal.org/archi...chool-year.php

[AZJoe]

Trump pardons this turkey

[goldenequity]

in Tunisia:

[goldenequity]

Tunisia

https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/st...01929526808577

[goldenequity]

Morocco

Brasco_Aad
@Brasco_Aad
Wow, King Mohammed VI of Morocco told Crown Prince bin Salman that he was NOT welcome to visit Morocco, because of the Khashoggi saga.
MBS decided to visit Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain instead. This is HUGE because Morocco has been one of Saudia's strongest allies

[enhanced_deficit]

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard says Trump is "Saudi Arabia's bitch" in tweet

Argentina urged to arrest Saudi prince MBS at G20 summit over Khashoggi killing

Hannah Lucinda Smith
November 28 2018, 12:01am, The Times



Protesters chanting “the murderer is not welcome” greeted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he arrived in Tunis yesterday. They called for justice over the killing of the journalist Jamal KhashoggiFETHI BELAID/AFP/GETTY IMAGESSaudi Arabia’s crown prince is facing calls for his arrest for war crimes and torture when he arrives in Argentina for the G20 meeting of world leaders on Friday.
Human Rights Watch, which is based in New York, has submitted a writ to Ariel Lijo, a federal judge in Buenos Aires, for Mohammed bin Salman to be tried over the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the war in Yemen. The writ has been passed on to a federal prosecutor, Ramiro González, who will decide whether the case can be pursued in an Argentine court.
Even if the request is not accepted, it will cause further embarrassment for the crown prince when he arrives in the city for the summit. He faced protests in…

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/w...ling-8h0m85s5v

[AZJoe]

[goldenequity]

The Wall Street Journal said it had reviewed excerpts of the highly classified intelligence document, which relied on electronic intercepts and other clandestine information.
Saudi prince was in constant touch with Khashoggi hit-squad boss: WSJ report
https://arynews.tv/en/saudi-prince-w...ss-wsj-report/

In the hours leading up to journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal killing, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince sent at least 11 messages
to his closest advisor who was charged with overseeing the murder, the Wall Street Journal said Saturday quoting a CIA assessment.

Saudi crown prince arrives in Algeria, denounced by scholars, journalists
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/s...ists-540615953


---------

H.K @Ibra_Joudeh · 13 min.
Khashoggi texts allegedly reveal journalist’s plan to create opposition movement to Saudi Crown Prince
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...-crown-prince/
(gee. that's convenient.)

[Swordsmyth]

The Wall Street Journal said it had reviewed excerpts of the highly classified intelligence document, which relied on electronic intercepts and other clandestine information.
Saudi prince was in constant touch with Khashoggi hit-squad boss: WSJ report
https://arynews.tv/en/saudi-prince-w...ss-wsj-report/

In the hours leading up to journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal killing, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince sent at least 11 messages
to his closest advisor who was charged with overseeing the murder, the Wall Street Journal said Saturday quoting a CIA assessment.

Saudi crown prince arrives in Algeria, denounced by scholars, journalists
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/s...ists-540615953


---------

H.K @Ibra_Joudeh · 13 min.
Khashoggi texts allegedly reveal journalist’s plan to create opposition movement to Saudi Crown Prince
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...-crown-prince/
(gee. that's convenient.)

I see no reason to believe either side at this point.

[goldenequity]

Guy Elster
BREAKING Senators are sure that MBS ordered Khashoggi killing after CIA briefing

Ragıp Soylu
US senators on Khashoggi;

• Graham: There is a smoking saw proving MBS’s involvement
• Corker: If MBS went in front of a jury, would be convicted in 30 minutes
• Menendez: More convinced now that Congress must act
• Shelby: The question is how to seperate MBS from S.Arabia