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Saudi Crown Prince Ordered Operation to Lure Khashoggi to Detainment: Report

Mohammed bin Salman reportedly ordered operation to lure WaPo writer to Saudi Arabia.

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, ordered an operation to lure Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi from his home in Virginia to Saudi Arabia and “detain him,” Saudi communications intercepted by U.S. intelligence reportedly reveal. The Post reports that Khashoggi’s friends recalled the columnist getting offers from Saudi officials for “protection” and even “a high-level job working for the government” if he returned to his home country. Khashoggi reportedly said he didn’t trust the Saudi government. Asked by reporters if the intelligence community would have a duty to warn Khashoggi about the potential danger, given that the communications that were reportedly intercepted before his disappearance, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino called the query a “hypothetical question.” White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and National Security Adviser John Bolton reportedly spoke with the crown prince Wednesday, but officials said the Saudis did not provide much information. Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey this month and was not seen leaving. Turkish officials believe that he may have been murdered inside the building, but the Saudis have claimed that Khashoggi left soon after he arrived.

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