The CIA has determined that the Oil rich Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post reported Friday citing people familiar with the matter.
Officials told the Post that the CIA has a high degree of confidence in its finding.
The C.I.A. has made the assessment that the prince’s control of Saudi Arabia is such that the killing would not have taken place without his approval, officials said.
It is the strongest assessment to date linking Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler to the killing, and complicates Donald Trump’s efforts to safeguard US ties with one of the closest American allies in the region.
Saudi Arabia is slashing oil shipments to US, a tactic that boosts prices and may rile Trump