Former Saudi agent accuses bin Salman of wanting to kill him 2:31
(CNN) -
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) is a "psychopath," who "poses a threat to his people, to Americans and to the planet," said a former senior Saudi intelligence official who now lives exiled in Canada.
In an interview on CBS News' "60 Minutes" program, which aired on Sunday, Saad Aljabri described seeing a recording of a meeting that allegedly took place in 2014 between MBS and his cousin, Mohammed bin Nayef (MBN), who he was the intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia at the time.
"He [MBS] told [MBN], I want to assassinate King Abdullah. I get a poison ring from Russia. Just shake my hand and it will be done," Aljabri said.
"That's what he says. Either he's showing off or, but he said it and we take it seriously."
The crown prince's father, King Salman, ascended to the throne in January 2015 following the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah, at age 90.
MBS became crown prince after a power struggle with his cousin, Mohammed bin Nayef, who was deposed and has been under house arrest since June 2017. Aljabri worked closely with MBN for years as the kingdom's intelligence number two.
During the interview, Aljabri also repeated allegations that MBS, the young de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, conspired to send a squad of hitmen to assassinate him in Canada three years ago, and has imprisoned two of Aljabri's children, Sarah and Omar, in Saudi Arabia.
Aljabri told CBS that he was warned in 2018 that a team of Saudi hitmen was heading to Canada to kill him.
He said the warning came days after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. Aljabri claims he was told: "... do not go near any Saudi mission in Canada. Do not go to the Consulate. Don't go to the embassy. I questioned why. He said, they dismembered the guy, they killed him. You're at the top of the list. "
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The alleged assassination plot was previously reported.
Saudi Arabia: former intelligence agent says Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent a squad to kill him
In a statement to "60 Minutes," a Canadian government spokesperson said: "Although we cannot comment on the specific allegations currently before the courts, we are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians and residents of Canada. "
CBS says Saudi Arabia declined an interview, but the kingdom's embassy in Washington issued a statement, describing Aljabri as a "discredited" former government official.
"Saad Aljabri is a discredited former government official with a long history of fabricating and creating distractions to hide the billions of dollars of financial crimes he committed to provide a luxurious lifestyle for himself and his family." the statement says.
"He has not denied his crimes; in fact, he implies that stealing was acceptable at the time. But it was not acceptable or legal then, and it is not now."
A group of Saudi companies owned by the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, which the prince controls, sued Aljabri in the United States and Canada, alleging that he stole money from the counter-terrorism budget.
Aljabri denied those claims in the interview.
The former agent says that he now speaks for his two children, who are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia, and states: "I appeal to the American people and the United States government to help me free those children and bring them back to life."
Mohamed bin Salman
