Saudi crown prince: Khashoggi murdered 'under my watch'

By Ali Abo Rezeg

ANKARA (AA) - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has said that he bears responsibility for the murder of prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi because it "happened under his watch".

"It happened under my watch. I get all the responsibility, because it happened under my watch," Bin Salman told PBS, according to a preview of a documentary to be aired on Oct. 1, ahead of the first anniversary of the journalist's death.

This is the first time the Kingdom's de facto ruler has publicly spoken about the gruesome murder last fall inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The killing sparked international outcry with the UN calling for an investigation into the role of Bin Salman in carrying out the operation in which the journalist's body was dismembered and removed from the building. His remains have not yet been found.

Khashoggi was killed on Oct. 2, 2018. Saudi Arabia initially denied any knowledge of his whereabouts after he went missing but later attempted to blame his death on a team of rogue operatives carrying out a botched rendition operation.

The documentary, The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, examines the Saudi leader’s rise, his rule, and his ties to the events surrounding Khashoggi’s murder.