Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said this week he takes full responsibility for Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, according to a documentary released on Wednesday.
“It happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility because it happened under my watch,” Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a preview for an upcoming PBS documentary, “The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.”
He has not spoken publicly about Khashoggi’s murder last year in a Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. U.S. intelligence and politicians have accused the crown prince of ordering the killing, but the Saudi government has denied it, claiming rogue operatives are the cause of his death.
Khashoggi’s death led to a public outcry, damaging the crown prince’s and Saudi Arabia’s reputation and attempts to diversify their economy.
When PBS’ Martin Smith asked how he didn’t know of the killing, the crown prince said: “We have 20 million people. We have 3 million government employees.”
When asked if the murderers could have taken government aircraft, he said: “I have officials, ministers to follow things, and they’re responsible. They have the authority to do that.”
Eleven Saudis have been put on trial for the killing and the United Nations has called for an investigation into the crown prince and his administration.
Khashoggi went missing on Oct. 2 after walking into an Istanbul consulate to collect papers for his wedding. His remains have yet to be found, but his body was dismembered and removed from the premises.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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