Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and a Washington Post columnist, was critical of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s policies. He was allegedly killed and dismembered October 2, 2018, in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by men with close ties to the highest levels of the Saudi government and bin Salman.
Although the CIA has concluded that the crown prince personally ordered Khashoggi’s murder, US President Donald Trumphas signaled he will not take strong action against Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, or its crown prince, despite pressure at home and internationally.
Personal:
Birth date: October 13, 1958
Death date: October 2, 2018
Birth place: Medina, Saudi Arabia
Birth name: Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi
Marriage: Rawia al-Tunisi; at least one other previous marriage
Children: with al-Tunisi: Salah, Abdullah, Noha, Razan Jamal
Education: Indiana State University, BA in business administration, 1983
Other Facts:
Khashoggi is pronounced kha-SHOOG-jee (with a soft J) or kha-SHOOK-jee (Both are correct.)
Was best known for his interviews with Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
His cousin was Dodi Fayed, the Egyptian film producer and boyfriend of Princess Diana, both of whom died in Paris following a car accident in 1997.
Khashoggi’s uncle was billionaire arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, who played a part in the Iran-Contra scandal.
Timeline:
1999-2003 – Deputy editor in chief of Arab News.
2003 – Editor of Al Watan daily for two months but is fired after publishing critiques of the conservative Wahhabi religious establishment in Saudi Arabia.
2003-2007 – Serves as media adviser to Prince Turki al Faisal, Saudi ambassador to the UK, and then to the US.
June 2010 – Appointed by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal to lead a new 24-hour news channel, Al-Arab.
February 1, 2015 – Al-Arab launches out of Manama, Bahrain. The government orders it to be shut down after less than 11 hours on the air, following an interview with an opposition leader.
Late 2016 – According to Khashoggi, the Saudi government has banned him from Twitter and pressured Al-Hayat to cancel his column, after he warns against supporting US President-elect Trump.
September 2017 – After leaving Saudi Arabia and settling in McLean, Virginia, Khashoggi becomes a contributing columnist with the Washington Post. In his first column, he explains that he and several others had gone into self-imposed exile because they feared being arrested in Saudi Arabia.
October 2, 2018 – Enters the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork from Saudi Arabia that would allow him to marry fiancée Hatice Cengiz. This is the last time he is seen in public. Cengiz raises alarms after he does not emerge several hours later, and Reuters reports on his absence.
October 3, 2018 – Turkish officials report Khashoggi is still inside the consulate, but the Saudi government asserts that he left the consulate after his visit. Bin Salman says in an interview that he will allow Turkey to search the consulate, as “we have nothing to hide.”
October 9, 2018 – A senior Turkish official claims that the highest levels of the royal court in Saudi Arabia ordered the murder of Khashoggi. The next day, a Saudi official says the kingdom “categorically” denies “any involvement in Jamal’s disappearance.”
October 11, 2018 – The Washington Post first reports that the Turkish government notified US officials that it is in possession of audio and video recordings proving that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate.
October 15, 2018 – Turkish officials are granted access to search the consulate; no news of evidence is released. After a phone call in which Saudi Arabia’s King Salmanoffered a “flat denial” of involvement, Trump suggests that “rogue killers” could be behind Khashoggi’s disappearance.
October 22, 2018 – Surveillance footage is released that shows a member of the 15-man team suspected Khashoggi’s death,dressed up in Khashoggi’s clothes and moving around Istanbul on the day the journalist was killed, according to a senior Turkish official.
October 25, 2018 – The killing of the Khashoggi was premeditated, Saudi Arabia’s attorney general says, in what marks a further significant shift in the Saudi version of events.
November 15, 2018 – The Saudi Public Prosecutor’s office releases additional details of Khashoggi’s death, including that following a physical altercation, he was injected with a lethal dose of a sedative. His body was then dismembered, according to Saudi prosecutors. A total of 11 people have been charged, and five facing capital punishment were directly involved in “ordering and executing the crime.” The same day, the United States announces sanctions against 17 Saudi government officials, not including bin Salman. In the coming weeks, Canada, France and the UK follow suit.
December 9, 2018 – According to a source briefed on the investigation, Khashoggi’s last words were “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.” The source, who has read a translated transcript of an audio recording of Khashoggi’s painful last moments, said it was clear that the killing on October 2 was no botched rendition attempt, but the execution of a premeditated plan to murder the journalist.
December 11, 2018 – Time magazine chooses “The Guardians,” a group of journalists that includes Khashoggi, as its Person of the Year.
December 13, 2018 – The US Senate passes a resolution condemning bin Salman for Khashoggi’s murder, but the Trump administration steers clear of assigning blame.
January 14, 2019 – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told the Saudi king and crown prince that the killers of journalist Jamal Khashoggi must “be held accountable.”While on a Middle East tour stop in Riyadh, Pompeo said he discussed human rights and “the investigative process and the judicial process” of the killing of Khashoggi with the king and crown prince.
