>>18627395
Saudi crown prince a โpsychopathโ, says exiled intelligence officer
Mon 25 Oct 2021 04.38 EDT
Saad Aljabri says Mohammed bin Salman boasted he could kill former ruler King Abdullah
A former senior Saudi intelligence officer has claimed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a โpsychopath with no empathyโ who once boasted that he could kill the kingdomโs ruler at the time, King Abdullah, and replace him with his own father.
In an interview on US television, Saad Aljabri, who fled Saudi Arabia in May 2017 and is living in exile in Canada, also said he had been warned by an associate in 2018,after the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggiin the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, that aSaudi hit team was heading to Canada to kill him.
Aljabri told 60 Minutes on CBS he was warned โdonโt be in a proximity of any Saudi mission in Canada. Donโt go to the consulate. Donโt go to the embassy.โ When he asked why, he said he was told โthey dismembered the guy, they kill him. You are on the top of the list.โ
Some details of the alleged murder plot, which were detailed in litigation in the US and Canada, have already been reported. But the 60 Minutes interview represents the first time Aljabri has publicly spoken about his break with Prince Mohammed.
He also spoke of the plight of his two youngest children, Sarah and Omar, who were arrested and are in prison in Saudi Arabia in what is widely seen as an attempt to force their father back to the country.
The Saudi government did not address Aljabriโs allegations but said in a statement that โSaad Aljabri is a discredited former government official with a long history of fabricating and creating distractions to hide the financial crimes he committedโ.
Aljabri was a close adviser to Mohammed bin Nayef, a former crown prince and interior minister who is being held in Saudi Arabia and has been seen as a potential political rival to Prince Mohammed. โI expect to be killed one day because this guy will not rest off until he see me dead,โ Aljabri said.
Aljabri has strong support in the US, where former intelligence officials have credited their Saudi counterpart for helping to save American and Saudi lives following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US.
On 60 Minutes, the former acting CIA director Mike Morell said Aljabri was โhonourableโ. Intelligence relayed to the US by Aljabri โ Morell said โ had led to the interception of bombs that had been planted by al-Qaida in 2010 in two desktop printers that were being flown as cargo on two planes.
Morell said there were also other examples of Aljabri saving the lives of Americans, but that they were still classified.
Saudi Arabia has previously denied there was an attempt on Aljabriโs life in Canada. The kingdom has also denied that the murder of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was ordered by Prince Mohammed.But a declassified US intelligence assessment โ released earlier this year โ concluded the murder was approved by the crown prince.
According to Aljabriโs account of alleged plans to assassinate him in Canada, a six-person team landed at Ottawa airport in mid-October 2018, lied to Canadian border officials about knowing one another, and carried suspicious equipment for DNA analysis. The team was deported by Canada after being intercepted by the authorities at the airport. The Canadian government has said: โWe are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to threaten those living in Canada. It is completely unacceptable.โ
The serious allegations about Prince Mohammed come as Saudi Arabia is seeking to improve its image around the world, including through the recent takeover of Newcastle United by the Public Investment Fund, the Saudi-controlled sovereign wealth fund where Prince Mohammed serves as chairman.
In the interview, Aljabri portrayed Prince Mohammed as reckless and untrustworthy.
He is, Aljabri said, โa psychopath with no empathy, [who] doesnโt feel emotion, never learned from his experience.โ
The former intelligence chief also claimed Prince Mohammed โfearedโ the information Aljabri knew about him, including a 2014 recorded discussion between Prince Mohammed and the then crown prince, Bin Nayef, in whichPrince Mohammed allegedly said he could kill the sitting king, Abdullah, to clear the throne for his own father, Salman.
โHe told him, โI want to assassinate King Abdullah.I get a poison ring from Russia. Itโs enough for me just to shake hand with him and he will be doneโ โฆ We took it seriously,โ Aljabri said.
Continuesโฆ
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/25/saudi-crown-prince-a-psychopath-says-exiled-intelligence-officer