He let women drive. Saudi movie lovers are watching Hollywood blockbusters again for the first time in more than three decades. Foreign investment has flooded in. In an ultra-conservative nation, he’s advocated for a return to a more moderate form of Islam.
Yet there’s a disturbing side to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, say key lawmakers and Middle East experts: He has brutally and ruthlessly purged cabinet ministers, media titans, business leaders, human rights activists and even members of his own royal family. One opinion writer called him the Kim Jong Un of the Persian Gulf for his embrace of the North Korean leader’s authoritarian-ruler playbook. Only, with money. And no apparent nuclear ambitions.
Now, the 33-year-old crown prince, the youngest defense minister in the world and effective ruler of one of the last absolute monarchies, is on the verge of collecting another ignoble accolade: A trusted U.S. ally who, if claims made by Turkish officials prove true, presided over journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s death inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Saudi authorities confirmed early Saturday that Khashoggi died inside the consulate in Istanbul as a result of a “brawl and quarrel,” a sharp reversal from previous assertions by the regime that the dissident journalist had left the diplomatic facility unharmed more than two weeks ago. Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested in connection with the case. None were identified.
Some Middle East experts say that Khashoggi’s violent death could…
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