Report: Twitter Suspends Bot Network Pushing Pro-Saudi Content After Khashoggi Disappearance

Twitter suspended a network of suspected Twitter bots that pushed pro-Saudi Arabia content in the wake of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance and alleged murder, NBC News reports. The network reportedly presented the company with a spreadsheet featuring “hundreds of accounts that tweeted and retweeted the same pro-Saudi government tweets at the same time.” A Twitter employee told NBC News the company was aware of the influence operation before the network presented the spreadsheet, and said the accounts were “being pulled down for violating rules about spam.” Some of the bot accounts reportedly tweeted the Arabic hashtag “#We_all_trust_Mohammad_Bin_Salman,” referring to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince. The hashtag became a “top worldwide Twitter trend” on Sunday. The bots also reportedly tweeted messages that told readers to “express doubt about news stories reporting that Khashoggi was killed[.]” Khashoggi disappeared after he entered Istanbul's Saudi Arabian consulate earlier this month. Turkish intelligence reportedly indicated Khashoggi was beheaded and dismembered inside the consulate. Saudi Arabia claimed it had nothing to do with Khashoggi’s disappearance.