President Donald Trump has publicly disagreed with his own intelligence agency, denying that the CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, Trump said, 'They didn't conclude. No no, they didn't conclude. They have feelings certain ways.'
The Washington Post had reported that the CIA assessed the crown prince was responsible for Khashoggi's death. Khashoggi, a Saudi national and US resident, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October and is believed to have been killed and dismembered. The crown prince has denied involvement.
Trump criticised media reports as 'false reporting' and claimed the CIA only said the prince 'might have done it'. He defended his response, citing US foreign and economic policy needs, and described Saudi Arabia as 'a very strong ally' that helps keep oil prices down. When asked who should be held accountable, Trump said, 'Maybe the world should be held accountable, because the world's a very very vicious place.'
Meanwhile, France announced sanctions on 18 Saudi citizens linked to the murder, including travel bans, and Denmark halted military equipment exports to Saudi Arabia. Turkey continues to assert that the order came from the 'highest levels' of the Saudi government.
