The Washington Post reported that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is set to release an intelligence report in the coming days regarding the role of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The newspaper cited informed sources stating that the report is a declassified summary of intelligence findings related to Khashoggi's death. It noted that its release could exacerbate tensions between the Biden administration and Riyadh. The report mentioned that the Biden administration has requested a New York court to extend the deadline until next month to lift the secrecy on all records related to Khashoggi's murder and the individuals responsible for it, along with the CIA report concerning the incident.
Newly appointed U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has pledged to Congress to comply fully with the law and disclose to lawmakers the intelligence assessment regarding who was behind Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
It is worth mentioning that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed on September 2, 2018, at his country's consulate in Istanbul, where he was last seen entering. In the early days, anonymous Turkish police sources suggested that he was believed to have been murdered inside the consulate. Meanwhile, Saudi officials dismissed the statements attributed to Turkish police and claimed he left the consulate alive through a back exit, while Turkish officials maintained that there was no evidence of his exit. On October 19, the Saudi Attorney General announced the arrest of 18 individuals accused of murdering Jamal Khashoggi following discussions that escalated into a brawl, resulting in his death.
