Saudi Crown Prince calls US Senate vote as ‘blatant interference’

Riyadh: Denouncing the resolution by the US Senate accusing the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and calling for an end to Washington’s military support for a Riyadh-led war in Yemen, Saudi Arabia has called it as “blatant interference”.

The resolution condemning Khashoggi’s murder and calling Prince Mohammed “responsible”, was approved by the Senate unanimously on Thursday.

The senators passed the resolution after senior intelligence officials from the US spy agency CIA reportedly said that such an operation would have needed the approval of Saudi Crown Prince also known as MBS, the kingdom’s de facto leader.

The Senate’s move comes as a warning to US President Donald Trump, who has been backing Saudi Crown Prince on the issue.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor, was killed on October 2 at the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul when he went there to obtain documents needed for his proposed marriage.