The 100-page analysis calls for the Crown Prince to be investigated after the death of Mr Khashoggi, who was last seen going into a Saudi embassy in Turkey. UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard said: “It is the conclusion of the special rapporteur that Mr Khashoggi has been the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible under international human rights law.” The report uses conversation recordings from inside the Istanbul embassy to suggest how Mr Khashoggi was confronted by Saudi officials before being killed after a struggle.
One of them said: “We are coming to get you.”
The report concludes that Mr Khashoggi was most likely murdered by multiple officials inside the consulate.
It reads: “Assessments of the recordings by intelligence officers in Turkey and other countries suggest that Mr Khashoggi could have been injected with a sedative and then suffocated using a plastic bag.”
Ms Callamard also called for nations worldwide to widen sanctions on the Crown Prince and his personal assets – unless he can prove he did not give the order.
Urging UN Secretary-General António Guterres to establish an international probe, she said: “There is credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi officials’ individual liability, including the Crown Prince’s.
“Indeed, this human rights inquiry has shown that there is sufficient credible evidence regarding the responsibility of the Crown Prince demanding further investigation.”
Mr Khashoggi was killed in October 2 after visiting the Saudi embassy in Istanbul to pick up some wedding papers.
A known critic of the Crown Prince – especially in his columns for the Washington Post – many suspected the Saudi hierarchy were involved in his demise.
They denied the attack initially – officials claimed Mr Khashoggi was still alive and had left the consulate – and blamed outside forces like Qatar for pushing a ‘false narrative’.
However, Saudi Arabia arrested 18 people related to his murder just two weeks later in an attempt to quell the situation.
The national press agency reported that all the suspects travelled to Istanbul to meet Mr Khashoggi before a brawl ensued and the journalist was murdered.
However, assessments from the CIA, as well as various Turkish and Saudi investigators, found that the murder was committed with a premeditated intention.
The kingdom has affirmed that Mohammed bin Salman knew nothing of the so-called “rogue” operation.
However, these findings will pile pressure on the Crown Prince to explain exactly what he knew about the murder – and his own possible involvement.