Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday supported Saudi Arabia in rejecting a CIA report on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The move came a day after the CIA released an unclassified report that blamed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the 2018 murder of Washington Post columnist Khashoggi in Istanbul.
The report concluded that bin Salman approved âto capture or kill” Khashoggi since he considered him a “threat to the kingdom” and also approved the use of violent measures if necessary to silence him.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement rejecting the report, describing it as ânegative, false and unacceptableâ, adding that it contained âinaccurate information and conclusionsâ.
In a statement, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry endorsed the Saudi rejection of the report, pointing out the âcentral roleâ played by Saudi Arabia on regional and international matters.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry, for its part, lauded the kingdomâs role in combating âviolence and extremism and its relentless support for security and stability in the region and across the globeâ.
The UAE also defended Saudi Arabia, expressing confidence in the kingdomâs judiciary and its âcommitment to enforcing the law in a transparent and impartial manner, and holding accountable all those involved in this caseâ.
The head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, also voiced support for the Saudi statement.
According to a report by Saudi SPA News Agency, Al-Othaimeen said he rejects the “inaccurate deductions cited in the report, which has no decisive proofs.”
Al-Othaimeen said he supports all judicial measures that have been taken against the culprits in the crime and against whom verdicts have been issued.
Khashoggi was brutally killed and likely dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, and while Saudi officials initially denied any role in his death, they later sought to pin blame on what they said was a botched rendition operation.
Former US President Donald Trump consistently sought to shield the Saudi leader from repercussions amid widespread bipartisan outcry by blocking the release of the CIA report.
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