The United States announced sanctions on 17 Saudis today for their alleged involvement in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Notably, the list of designees does not include Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, commonly known by his initials MBS, who the Donald Trump administration has cultivated as a key ally in its Middle East endeavors. Nor does it include MBS’ handpicked deputy intelligence chief, Gen. Ahmed al-Asiri, who previously served as the spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen.
The list does, however, include the crown prince’s propaganda chief, Saud al-Qahtani, who has sometimes been described as the Saudi “Steve Bannon,” as well as Maher Mutreb, whom the Treasury Department described as Qahtani’s subordinate who coordinated the Khashoggi assassination. The Treasury Department also sanctioned the diplomat who was serving as the Saudi consul general in Istanbul at the time of Khashoggi’s murder, Mohammed al-Otaibi.
“Saud al-Qahtani is a senior official of the government of Saudi Arabia who was part of the planning and execution of the operation that led to the killing of Mr. Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2, 2018,” Treasury Secretary Mnuchin said in a press statement. “This operation was coordinated and executed by his subordinate Maher Mutreb, and involved participation of at least 14 other Saudi government officials.”
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