The Saudi government has said it fired five top officials and detained 18 other people after an investigation concluded that Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributing columnist, died during a fistfight inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. The claim contradicted previous Saudi statements and came as many argued that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must have approved an operation against the journalist. “I know this: Nothing happens in Saudi Arabia without MBS knowing about it,” said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), using the initials by which the crown prince is commonly known.
The Saudis who were detained were not publicly identified, but five members of the team that Turkish officials suspect of involvement in Khashoggi’s death have traveled to the United States in recent years on trips that overlapped visits by the crown prince, travel records and photographs show. The proximity of their flights to the movements of the kingdom’s day-to-day ruler suggests that they are members of his security entourage, experts said, potentially complicating the ability of Mohammed to claim that the killing was carried out without his consent.
Twelve of the 15 members of the alleged hit team also appear to have links to Saudi security services, according to their posts on social media, and emails, previous reports in local media and other material reviewed by The Post. On a caller-ID app that is popular in the Arab world, two of those men are repeatedly identified as working in the office of the crown prince.
Meshal Saad M. Albostani
Salah Muhammed A. Tubaigy
Naif Hassan S. Alarifi
Mohammed Saad H. Alzahrani
Mansour Othman M. Abahussain
Khalid Aedh G. Alotaibi
Abdulaziz Mohammed M. Alhawsawi
Waleed Abdullah M. Alsehri
Turki Muserref M. Alsehri
Thaar Ghaleb T. Alharbi
Maher Abdulaziz M. Mutreb
Fahad Shabib A. Albalawi
Badr Lafi M. Alotaibi
Mustafa Mohammed M. Almadani
Saif Saad Q. Alqahtani
Arrival in the U.S.
Departure from the U.S.
Khalid
Aedh
Alotaibi
Maher
Abdulaziz
M. Mutreb
Thaar
Ghaleb T.
Alharbi
Mohammed
Saad H.
Alzahrani
Fahad
Shabib A.
Albalawi
Mustafa
Mohammed
M. Almadani
Oct. 1st
2015
Jan. 10th
May 2nd
May 9th
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits Camp
David with
Crown Prince
Mohammed
bin Nayef
(May 13-14).
2016
2017
Feb. 23rd
Feb. 23rd
May 21st
Saudi Crown
Prince
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits the
White House
on March 14th.
May 28th
2018
March 16th
March 23rd
Maher Mutreb
appears to
have been
photographed with
Mohammed in
Boston and
Houston
during this trip
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits the U.S.
(March 19
April 7)
NOTE: Some arrivals, departures and locations may be
missing because the men probably took diplomatic flights.
Arrival in the U.S.
Departure from the U.S.
Khalid
Aedh
Alotaibi
Maher
Abdulaziz
M. Mutreb
Fahad
Shabib A.
Albalawi
Thaar
Ghaleb T.
Alharbi
Mohammed
Saad H.
Alzahrani
Mustafa
Mohammed
M. Almadani
2014
Oct. 1st
Jan. 10th
2015
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits Camp
David with
Crown Prince
Mohammed
bin Nayef
(May 13-14).
Sept. 15th
2016
July 3rd
Aug. 20th
Sept. 4th
Dec. 5th
Jan. 8th
2017
Feb. 23rd
Jan. 22nd
Feb. 23rd
Saudi Crown
Prince
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits the
White House
on March 14th.
May 28th
July 28th
Nov. 14th
Dec. 10th
2018
Maher Mutreb
appears to
have been
photographed with
Mohammed in
Boston and
Houston
during this trip
March 16th
March 23rd
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits the U.S.
(March 19
April 7)
NOTE: Some arrivals, departures and locations may be missing because
the men probably took diplomatic flights.
Arrival in the U.S.
Departure from the U.S.
Khalid
Aedh
Alotaibi
Maher
Abdulaziz
M. Mutreb
Fahad
Shabib A.
Albalawi
Thaar
Ghaleb T.
Alharbi
Mohammed
Saad H.
Alzahrani
Mustafa
Mohammed
M. Almadani
2014
2015
May 2nd,
Washington
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits Camp
David with
Crown Prince
Mohammed
bin Nayef
(May 13-14).
May 9th,
Washington
2016
Feb. 23rd,
Washington
Feb. 23rd,
Washington
2017
Saudi Crown
Prince
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits the
White House
on March 14.
May 21st
May 28th
2018
March 16th,
Washington
March 23rd,
New York
Maher Mutreb
appears to
have been
photographed with
Mohammed in
Boston and
Houston
during this trip
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits the U.S.
(March 19
April 7)
NOTE: Some arrivals, departures and locations may be missing because
the men probably took diplomatic flights.
Arrival in the U.S.
Departure from the U.S.
Mohammed bin Salman
visits Camp David with
Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Nayef (May 13-14).
Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman
visits the White House
on March 14.
Mohammed
bin Salman
visits the U.S.
(March 19-April 7)
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Khalid Aedh
Alotaibi
March 16th,
Washington
May 21st
Feb. 23rd,
Washington
May 9th,
Washington
Thaar
Ghaleb T.
Alharbi
May 2nd,
Washington
Maher
Abdulaziz
M. Mutreb
Maher Mutreb
appears to
have been
photographed with
Mohammed in
Boston and
Houston
during this trip
Mohammed
Saad H.
Alzahrani
Fahad
Shabib A.
Albalawi
Feb. 23rd,
Washington
May 28th
Mustafa
Mohammed
M. Almadani
March 23rd,
New York
NOTE: Some arrivals, departures and locations may be missing because
the men probably took diplomatic flights.
Mohammed bin Salman
visits Camp David with
Crown Prince Mohammed
bin Nayef (May 13-14).
Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman
visits the White House
on March 14.
Arrival in the U.S.
Mohammed bin Salman
visits the U.S.
(March 19-April 7)
Departure from the U.S.
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
Khalid Aedh
Alotaibi
May 9th,
Washington
Feb. 23rd,
Washington
May 21st
March 16th,
Washington
Thaar
Ghaleb T.
Alharbi
May 2nd,
Washington
Maher Mutreb
appears to
have been
photographed with
Mohammed in
Boston and
Houston
during this trip
Jan. 22nd,
Las Vegas
May 23th
Maher
Abdulaziz
M. Mutreb
Jan. 8th,
Washington
May 21st,
New York
Mohammed
Saad H.
Alzahrani
Fahad
Shabib A.
Albalawi
Feb. 23rd,
Washington
May 28th
Mustafa
Mohammed
M. Almadani
March 23rd,
New York
NOTE: Some arrivals, departures and locations may be missing because the men probably took diplomatic flights.
The Post used the caller-ID app to identify phone numbers for 12 of the 15. Their names, along with images from airport and hotel security footage, were first published by Sabah, a Turkish newspaper closely aligned with the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish officials later confirmed that they believe the 15 played a role in Khashoggi’s disappearance and provided The Post with copies of their passports, purportedly scanned when the Saudi men were in Istanbul on Oct. 2, or with their passport information.
One of the suspects, Mohammed Saad H. Alzahrani, answered a call placed to a number listed for him in the app, which also identifies him as being in the Royal Guard, a unit of the Saudi military charged with protecting the royal family. He denied being in Turkey at the time of Khashoggi’s disappearance. Phone calls placed to the remaining numbers were not answered or showed that the phones had been turned off. Phone numbers could not be found for three of the men. The Saudi Embassy in Washington has not responded to requests for comment.
A man resembling Maher Abdulaziz M. Mutreb is highlighted on the stairs in this photo from April, when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, highlighted at right, arrived at Madrid’s airport. A man resembling Mutreb appears in the crown prince’s entourage in three countries recently. (Photo by Emilio Naranjo/EPA-EFE)
Timeline of flights
Two planes that Turkish investigators believe transported 15 men from Saudi Arabia were in Istanbul on Oct. 2. HZ-SK2 took off from Riyadh late Oct. 1 and arrived in Istanbul early Oct 2. It left late that evening, stopping briefly in Nallihan, Turkey, before flying to Dubai and then returning to Saudi Arabia. A second plane, HZ-SK1, left Riyadh on Oct. 2 and flew to Istanbul. It left Istanbul and flew to Cairo the same day. On Oct. 3, HZ-SK1 returned to Riyadh from Cairo.
Istanbul
Nallihan
Ankara
OCT. 2
TURKEY
SYRIA
Med.
Sea
IRAQ
IRAN
SAUDI
ARABIA
OCT. 3
OCT. 1
OCT. 2
EGYPT
OCT. 3
U.A.E.
Riyadh
400 MILES
Source: Plane Finder
Istanbul
Nallihan
Ankara
OCT. 2
TURKEY
SYRIA
Med.
Sea
IRAQ
IRAN
SAUDI
ARABIA
OCT. 3
OCT. 1
OCT. 2
EGYPT
OCT. 3
U.A.E.
Riyadh
400 MILES
Source: Plane Finder
Istanbul
Nallihan
Ankara
OCT. 2
TURKEY
SYRIA
Med.
Sea
IRAQ
IRAN
SAUDI
ARABIA
OCT. 3
OCT. 1
OCT. 2
EGYPT
Dubai
OCT. 3
U.A.E.
Riyadh
400 MILES
Source: Plane Finder
Istanbul
Nallihan
Ankara
OCT. 2
TURKEY
SYRIA
Med.
Sea
IRAQ
IRAN
Cairo
SAUDI
ARABIA
OCT. 3
OCT. 3
OCT. 1
OCT. 2
EGYPT
Dubai
OCT. 3
U.A.E.
Riyadh
400 MILES
Source: Plane Finder
More about the men believed to be involved with Khashoggi’s disappearance
Meshal Saad M. Albostani, 31
In a recently deleted Facebook page, a man by the same name who closely resembles Albostani listed his position as a lieutenant in the Saudi air force.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: unknown
Departure: HZ-SK2
Camera footage
Passport
Salah Muhammed A. Tubaigy, 47
Tubaigy identifies himself on social media as chief of forensic evidence in the security division of the Saudi interior ministry. Early reports indicated the British-trained scientist arrived in the hours after Khashoggi disappeared. But the Turkish newspaper Sabah later updated his arrival time to several hours before the journalist disappeared.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: HZ-SK2
Departure: HZ-SK2
Camera footage
Passport
Naif Hassan S. Alarifi, 32
A recently deleted Facebook page of a man by the same name contained profile pictures of him in uniform, bearing symbols for Saudi special forces.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: commercial flight
Departure: HZ-SK2
Camera footage
Passport
Mohammed Saad H. Alzahrani, 30
In the Arabic caller-ID app MenoM3ay, Alzahrani is listed by one user as a member of the Royal Guard.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: unknown
Departure: HZ-SK2
Camera footage
Passport
Mansour Othman M. Abahussain, 46
Abahussain is repeatedly identified in the app as working in intelligence. A 2014 Arabic news article described a man by that name as a lieutenant colonel in the Saudi civil defense force. A Saudi government employee of the same name was also once stationed in Amman, Jordan, leaked records show.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: unknown
Departure: HZ-SK2
Camera footage
Passport
Khalid Aedh G. Alotaibi, 30
A Saudi passport held by a man with this name was used to enter the United States on trips that overlapped with three visits by members of the royal family, U.S. records show. In MenoM3ay, he is identified with a symbol for the Royal Guard.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: unknown
Departure: unknown
Camera footage
Passport
Abdulaziz Mohammed M. Alhawsawi, 31
In the Arabic caller-ID app, Alhawsawi is listed by one user as a member of the Royal Guard.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: unknown
Departure: HZ-SK2
Camera footage
Passport
Waleed Abdullah M. Alsehri, 38
According to a Saudi news report last year, the crown prince promoted a man with this name to major in the Saudi air force.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: HZ-SK1
Departure: HZ-SK1
Turki Muserref M. Alsehri, 36
No information available
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: HZ-SK2
Departure: HZ-SK1
Thaar Ghaleb T. Alharbi, 39
In 2015, Alharbi and Khalid Aedh Alotaibi arrived in the U.S. ahead of a summit at Camp David attended by the then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Mohammed, then the deputy crown prince. A Saudi news report last year reported that a man by the same name had been promoted to lieutenant colonel in the Saudi army.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: HZ-SK2
Departure: HZ-SK1
Maher Abdulaziz M. Mutreb, 47
Photographs show that Mutreb appears to have accompanied the crown prince on visits this year to France, Spain and the United States. A British document from 2007 lists a man by the same name working as a diplomat in London. Documents posted by Wikileaks show that person receiving security training. The passport records show that Mutreb visited the United States in July 2016, coinciding with a visit by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: HZ-SK2
Departure: HZ-SK1
Fahad Shabib A. Albalawi, 33
In February 2017, Albalawi arrived in Washington, along with Khalid Aedh Alotaibi, three weeks before Mohammed met with President Trump at the White House. In MenoM3ay, two users list Albalawi as a member of the Royal Guard.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: unknown
Departure: HZ-SK1
Badr Lafi M. Alotaibi, 45
No information available
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: HZ-SK2
Departure: HZ-SK1
Mustafa Mohammed M. Almadani, 57
Almadani touched down in New York three days after the start of Mohammed's U.S. tour this spring, shortly before Mohammed was due in New York City. Four users of the app list Almadani as working in intelligence, and another describes him as working in the headquarters of the kingdom's primary intelligence agency.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: HZ-SK2
Departure: unknown
Saif Saad Q. Alqahtani, 45
Alqahtani is identified by seven users of the caller-ID app as working in the service of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and by two others as working in the royal palace.
Travel details from Istanbul
Arrival: HZ-SK2
Departure: unknown
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with the Saudi crown prince in Riyadh Oct. 16 for talks on Khashoggi’s disappearance.
Julie Tate, Joe Moore, Erin Cunningham, Zakaria Zakaria, Souad Mekhennet and Tamer El-Ghobashy, Chiqui Esteban and Tim Meko contributed to this report.
About this story
Passport photos obtained by The Washington Post. CCTV images courtesy of Agence France Presse/Getty Images.
Originally published Oct. 17, 2018.
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