Member of Saudi Crown Prince’s Entourage ‘at Consulate When Writer Vanished’
SMOKING GUN?
New footage shows MBS’ entourage member at the scene of disappearance.
Charles Platiau/Reuters
A man who traveled in Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage to the United States in April was at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul when writer Jamal Khashoggi went missing, newly released surveillance footage shows. The crown prince’s role in the Khashoggi case is coming under increasing scrutiny—The Washington Post reported the suspected murder was inspired by the crown prince’s desire to silence the dissident writer. Now footage shows the entourage member at the consulate, outside the Saudi consul general’s home, checking out of a Turkish hotel with a large suitcase, and then leaving Turkey on Oct. 2. The man is shown walking past police barricades at the consulate at 9:55 a.m. with several men behind him, three hours before Khashoggi arrived. The Times of London named the man as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, who reportedly worked at the Saudi embassy in London between 2007-9 and had a security role with the crown prince.
