Exiled Security Official Calls Saudi Prince a 'Psychopath'
Saad Aljabri said he fears for his life in 60 Minutes interview
By Liz MacGahan, Newser Staff
Posted Oct 25, 2021 2:16 PM CDT
newser.com
(NEWSER) – An exiled former security official for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia called the crown prince and de facto ruler of the kingdom a "psychopath" and a "killer," in an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes. Saad Aljabri lives in Canada now, but back in 2014 he worked closely with Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In the interview, Jabri said he witnessed Mohammed saying he could easily kill the king at the time, Abdullah, getting his father, King Salman, on the throne earlier. He said he has video—he showed a short clip on 60 Minutes—that would expose Saudi royal secrets and would be released if he died. He said the Saudi crown prince wants him dead. He said he was on the same hit list as slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and was warned to avoid the Saudi embassy in Canada. "'Don't go to the consulate. Don't go to the embassy.' I said why? Said, ‘they dismembered the guy, they kill him. You are on the top of the list,'" Aljabri said.
The Saudi government has denied they ordered Khashoggi killed, but US intelligence disagrees. Former acting CIA director Mike Morell expressed support for Aljabri in the interview, but also said King Abdullah tolerated a little corruption, and he wouldn't be surprised if Aljabri had taken some money. Aljabri said he was going public with his allegations because he’s afraid for his family. Two of his adult children are in prison in Saudi Arabia, and Aljabri believes they were arrested to force him to return to the kingdom, the Guardian reports. Aljabri has also asked the US government to help his children, Reuters reports. The Saudi government denies Aljabri’s allegations, calling him a discredited former government official and accusing him of financial crimes, per the Los Angeles Times. A judge in Canada has frozen Aljabri’s assets while a lawsuit filed against him unfolds. (Read more Mohammed bin Salman stories.) |
