US Senate Wants Fresh Probe in Jamal Khashoggi Murder

Washington: The US President has termed CIA’s conclusion in the Jamal Khashoggi murder as “not definitive”, prompting a Senate Committee to ask Donald Trump for a fresh probe to determine within four months whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had any role in the killing. Republican and Democratic leaders of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday sent a letter demanding a second investigation after Trump earlier in the day said the CIA had not reached a “definitive” conclusion.

Trump defended US ties with Saudi Arabia saying it was clear who ordered the murder, despite press reports saying the agency has determined that Salman ordered the hit as international condemnation of the brutal killing continued. Republican Senator Bob Corker and Democrat Bob Menendez issued a statement asking for a second probe by the Trump administration after the US President stated earlier in the day that the CIA had not made a “100%” determination on the killing. The Senate Committee called on Trump to focus on a fresh probe specifically on the crown prince so as to “determine whether a foreign person is responsible for an extrajudicial killing, torture or other gross violation” of human rights. The senate’s request, issued under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, requires a response within 120 days. (IANS)

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