Is Prince Bone Saw At It Again?

The gruesome murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi last fall at the direction of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin "Bone Saw" Salman was news around the world for months, as the investigation into his murder and dismemberment led back to the Saudi royal family. One would think that the negative publicity would have tempered the Crown Prince's murderous tendencies. One would be wrong.

With the tacit support of the corrupt and compromised Trump regime, with son-in-law Jared "Mr. Ivanka Trump" Kushner acting as the main liaison with the Saudis, Bone Saw's government appears to be going after another vocal critic, Iyad El-Baghdadi, who is a staunch pro-democracy advocate against the repressive Saudi regime. In a fascinating move, as described in the Guardian, the CIA apparently warned El-Baghdadi, who has asylum in Norway, that there was a potential threat from Saudi Arabia:

"El-Baghdadi was alerted to the threat on 25 April, when Norwegian authorities arrived at his doorstep, took him to a secure location, and warned him he was in possible danger from an unspecified threat emanating from the kingdom.

The activist was told the threat had been passed on to Norwegian authorities by a foreign intelligence agency, which the Guardian has confirmed was the CIA.

“The way I understood it was, the Saudis have a crosshairs on me, but there is no idea of what they are going to do,” El-Baghdadi said in a phone interview with the Guardian."[snip]

El-Baghdadi said the possibility that the Saudi government was still seeking to silence or curtail activism outside its border underscored a growing issue facing Prince Mohammed, who is known as MBS: the explosion in the number of educated Saudis who are living outside the kingdom and becoming politically active.

“This is shaping up to be a long-term problem for MBS,” he said.

Bone Saw has a close relationship with Kushner, whom he once described as being in his pocket, apparently due to financial dealings involving Kushner's private business. This has obviously empowered Bone Saw to push the limits of his autocratic, extra-legal behavior:

"Critics and activists agree that the Trump administration’s continued support of Prince Mohammed, especially by Trump and his senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has sent a message that he is untouchable and will not be held accountable for the murder."

It's well and good that the CIA alerted the Norwegians about the threat to El-Baghdadi from the Saudis, but with Bone Saw's actions receiving cover from the Trump regime overall, it won't be the last time the Saudis try to crush dissent.

(photo: Bone Saw and his crown jewel)