Biden Says He Read US Intelligence Report On Khashoggi Murder

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th February, 2021) President Joe Biden said he has read the US intelligence report on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

"Yes, I have," Biden said on Wednesday when asked if he has read the US intelligence report on Khashoggi's murder.

Biden noted that has not yet talked with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz but will be soon.

Earlier in the day, the news website Axios reported that Biden and the Saudi King will talk over the telephone on Wednesday. The report added that the Director of National Intelligence plans to release a declassified report on Khashoggi's murder on Thursday.

In 2019, the US Congress legally obliged the previous Trump administration to release the intelligence findings, but then-President Donald Trump ignored the demand.

Khashoggi, a Saudi-born Washington Post columnist, went missing in 2018 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Saudi government initially denied any knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts, but eventually admitted that he was killed and dismembered inside the consulate.

The Saudi government sentenced several people over their role in Khashoggi's murder and has repeatedly denied allegations that members of the royal family were involved in the incident.