Mohammed bin Salman sent hit squad to Canada to kill intel official two weeks after Khashoggi killing: Lawsuit
A former top Saudi intelligence official who has previously worked closely with US and UK intelligence has alleged in a bombshell lawsuit that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had sent an assassination squad to kill him in Canada, where he is currently in exile. Saad Aljabri, an ex-intelligence official who has been praised by former colleagues in the US and UK for ensuring the safety of westerners amidst a constant threat from Al-Qaeda, filed the lawsuit against Salman and other Saudi officials in a district court in Washington, DC, according to the Guardian. Aljabri has claimed that the Saudi state launched a campaign to target him even though he was in Canada because they viewed him as a threat to the Crown Prince's relationship with the US and his eventual ascendancy to the throne. He said Salman sent him "explicit death threats."
Detailing the assassination attempt, the lawsuit states that a team of Saudi assassins was sent to Canada to kidnap him just two weeks after the highly-controversial murder of Washington Post journalist and Salman critic Jamal Khashoggi. Two men who were accused of being behind his death have been named by Aljabri as well. The assassins were reportedly a part of a so-called Tiger Squad of the Crown Prince's personal mercenary group that is believed to be behind Khashoggi's killing and attempted to covertly enter Canada on tourist visas on or around October 15, 2018, with the "intent of killing" Ajabri.
However, despite attempting to enter the country via separate "kiosks," the complaint states that the men were stopped and questioned by Canadian authorities who worked out the plot and after finding a photograph of all of the assassins together that proved they knew one another.
The complaint referenced two previous alleged plots -- one against synagogues in Chicago and another involving blowing up cargo planes headed to the US -- that were thwarted thanks to Aljabri's assistance and said that his "combination of deep knowledge and enduring trust by top US officials is why there is virtually no one defendant bin Salman wants dead more than Dr. Saad."
Aljabri also claimed he was a target because he was "privy to sensitive information" about Salman's "covert political scheming within the royal court, corrupt business dealings, and creation of personal mercenaries that defendant bin Salman would later use to carry out the extrajudicial killing of Jamal Khashoggi, among others."
In a statement, the Canadian government did not comment on Aljabri's incredible allegations but did not deny them. "We are aware of incidents in which foreign actors have attempted to monitor, intimidate or threaten Canadians and those living in Canada," they said.
"It is completely unacceptable and we will never tolerate foreign actors threatening Canada’s national security or the safety of our citizens and residents," the statement continued. "Canadians can be confident that our security agencies have the skills and resources necessary to detect, investigate, and respond to such threats. We will always take the necessary action to keep Canadians and those on Canadian soil safe and we invite people to report any such threats to law enforcement authorities."