Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a recent interview insisted “anyone involved” with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is “serving jail time,” a comment that comes ahead of the five-year anniversary of the murder.
When asked in a rare interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier about if any individuals are serving time for Khashoggi’s murder, the crown prince said, “Yes. Anyone. Anyone involved is serving a jail time. You have to face the law. [sic]”
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist for The Washington Post critical of the Saudi government, was killed and dismembered in 2018 by a hit squad while inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
A U.S. intelligence report later determined Salman approved and likely ordered the killing. Crown Prince Mohammed has denied having direct knowledge of the plot against Khashoggi but said in 2019 he accepted responsibility because the attack happened under his leadership.
When asked by Baier what he would tell U.S. tourists or journalists with safety concerns about visiting his country, the crown prince said, “Well, we take all the legal measurements that any country took, like when America have mistakes in Iraq, they do investigation, trial, etc.”
“We did that in Saudi Arabia and the case being closed,” he continued. “And also, we try to reform the security system to be sure these kinds of mistakes doesn’t happen again. And we can see in the past five years, nothing of those things happened. It’s not part of what Saudi Arabia do.”
In 2019, Saudi Arabia sentenced five people to death for Khashoggi’s killing, while three others were given a total of 24 years in prison for covering up the crime and violating other laws.
The sentencing drew criticism from several lawmakers at the time, who called the verdict a “farce.”
During his 2020 presidential campaign, President Biden vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” over the Khashoggi killing but has since softened relations with the crown prince and sought his help to control oil prices and deal with other regional issues.
Speaking with Baier, Crown Prince Mohammed called the agenda between Saudi Arabia and America “really interesting” and that his country has a “really amazing” relationship with Biden.
The Associated Press contributed.