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It has been more than two years since Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul and never left alive.
Now your report by the US secret services says: The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has approved an operation to kill or capture the journalist.
So far the report has been kept under wraps.
Just over a month after Joe Biden's inauguration, the publication now stands for a change of course under the new US president.
Joe Biden, US President:
“I spoke to the King yesterday, not the Prince.
I've made it clear to him that the rules are changing and we're going to announce significant changes today and Monday.
We will hold them accountable for human rights violations.
And we will make sure that if they want to deal with us they have to deal with human rights violations being addressed.
And we do that all over the world, but especially here. "
Khashoggi was arrested by a special command from Saudi Arabia on October 2, 2018.
Under international pressure, Riyadh finally confessed to the killing, but stuck to the line that a secret service operation had gotten out of hand.
Early on it was considered likely that Crown Prince bin-Salman was responsible, but he denied the allegations and then President Donald Trump avoided a direct conviction.
For Biden, the situation is complicated: Saudi Arabia is an important ally, and the new president doesn't want to risk a complete break either.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also made this clear:
Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State:
»I would say that the relationship with Saudi Arabia is important.
We have important, ongoing interests; we continue to commit to protecting the kingdom.
But we also want to make sure - and this is what the President said from the start - that the relationship better reflects our interests and values.
So what we have done with our approach is not to break the relationship, but to recalibrate it.
So that it is more in line with our interests and values. "
Saudi Arabia reacted indignantly to the US report.
It contains negative, incorrect and unacceptable assessments as well as inaccurate information and conclusions.
In addition to publishing the report, the US has taken further steps against Saudi Arabia.
Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State:
“We have taken steps under what we call the 'Khashoggi ban' to impose visa restrictions on 76 Saudi Arabians who we believe were involved, dissidents abroad intimidate.
It's not just about killing Khashoggi, but also about it. "
The US Treasury Department also put the former Saudi Deputy Head of Intelligence Ahmed al-Asiri and the RIF Rapid Reaction Force on the sanctions list.
Asiri was the leader of the operation against Khashoggi in Istanbul, in which several RIF members were involved.
The US government announced no punitive measures against the Crown Prince himself.
