CIA was 'proved wrong before,' Saudi ex-intel boss says after report on MBS, Khashoggi murder

In this Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 photo, Prince Turki al-Faisal talks to the audience during the opening day of the Beirut Institute Summit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (The Associated Press)

A former head of Saudi intelligence decried the credibility of any CIA report that suggests Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ordered the murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi.
“The CIA has been proved wrong before,” Prince Turki Al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief, said in an interview in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, according to Bloomberg. “Just to mention the invasion of Iraq, for example.”
He pointed out that CIA reports before the 2003 invasion of Iraq that said Saddam Hussein was producing chemical weapons were proved to be “absolutely false,” despite then-Secretary of State Colin Powell saying it was “a slam-dunk conclusion.”
“The CIA is not necessarily the best measure of creditable intelligence reporting or intelligence assessment,” Al Faisal added.

"The CIA is not necessarily the best measure of creditable intelligence reporting or intelligence assessment."
— Prince Turki Al-Faisal, a former Saudi intelligence chief

The CIA deemed in a report earlier this month -- first reported by the Washington Post -- that the death of Khashoggi was ordered by the crown prince, a conclusion that came after weeks of Saudi leadership’s denials and claims that rogue government officials organized the murder.
The agency’s conclusion came as a result of “an understanding of how Saudi Arabia works,” rather than a “smoking gun,” a U.S. official with knowledge of the situation told the Wall Street Journal.
CIA DETERMINES KHASHOGGI’S DEATH WAS ORDERED BY SAUDI CROWN PRINCE MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN: REPORT
Khashoggi’s death “would not and could not have happened” if MBS was not connected, an official told the outlet.
But President Trump parted ways from the CIA’s conclusion, saying the crown prince denied the killing “vehemently” and that the agency only had “feelings” and not evidence.
The president avoided putting blame on Saudi Arabia’s leadership for the killing, saying “maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a very, very vicious place,” the Washington Post reported.
In a statement, Trump reiterated that there’s no clear conclusion of who was aware and ordered the killing.
“King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman vigorously deny any knowledge of the planning or execution of the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event – maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump said in a lengthy statement.