RIYADH (The Guardian) – Three years after the assassination of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi royal court adviser accused of directing the murder is being quietly reintroduced by pro-government influencers as a patriotic figure who has served his country well.
Social media accounts that back the Saudi leadership have in recent months been posting tributes to Saud al-Qahtani, a chief aide to crown prince and Saudi Arabia’s effective leader, Mohammed bin Salman, in a move that is seen as marking his gradual return to the seat of Saudi power. Qahtani vanished from public view in the aftermath of the gruesome killing in Istanbul that shocked the world and almost derailed his boss’s path to the throne.
The close friend of bin Salman has also been seen in the royal court, from where he is accused of planning one of modern history’s most brutal assassinations inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which was caught in graphic detail on listening devices planted by Turkish spies. “He looks very nervous, almost paranoid,” said one official who has seen Qahtani. “He is still trying to keep a low profile.”
Accounts of Qahtani’s re-emergence come as Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund takes formal control of Newcastle United football club after finalizing a contentious takeover deal that has been staunchly opposed by human rights groups. The £300mn deal is the country’s first major acquisition of a foreign team and biggest foray yet into global sports.
Qahtani’s whereabouts had been the subject of intense speculation since he disappeared from view in late 2018. The CIA and MI6 both believe he had been the central figure in the plot which saw Khashoggi, a former royal court insider turned critic, butchered inside the consulate by a team of government hitmen that he is accused of assembling.
A spate of postings supporting Qahtani on social media started to appear in May this year. They became more frequent in July and August and have continued ever since.
All the posts from accounts that support the Saudi regime offer praise for Qahtani as a “hero”, “patriot” or “leader”. Many posts have included photo tributes, while others have showcased videos featuring him with bin Salman.
The posts bear the hallmarks of a concerted campaign in favor of Qahtani and are aimed at his return to power, because such a move is effectively impossible in Saudi Arabia’s tightly controlled media environment without the sanction of senior authorities.
“There is no question that Qahtani is back,” an unnamed senior Saudi official said. “The question is, did he ever really leave?”
Khashoggi was murdered on October 2, 2018 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain a document stating that he was divorced, so that he could marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.
Recording and other evidence gathered by Turkish authorities revealed how a team of Saudi agents subdued, killed and then dismembered the journalist inside the diplomatic mission.
Saudi Arabia initially issued conflicting stories about Khashoggi’s disappearance, but eventually said that he was killed in a “rogue” operation.
The CIA and MI6 both believe Qahtani had been the central figure in Khashoggi’s assassination.