Saudi Crown Prince launched 'secret campaign' to silence dissenters prior to Khashoggi killing: Report

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman authorised a "secret campaign" to silence dissenters more than a year before killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi,  New York Times reported on Sunday, March 17

campaign included surveillance, kidnapping, detention, and torture of Saudi citizens, according to American officials with kwledge of classified reports.

Officials said that members of group, who were a part of what y called "Saudi Rapid Intervention Group", were involved in at least a dozen operations starting in 2017, according to New York Times.

group carried out missions including forcibly repatriating Saudi Arabian dissidents from or Arab countries and detaining and abusing m. American officials did t reveal ir identities for fear of repercussions from disclosing classified information or infuriating  Saudi government.

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Meanwhile, a spokesperson for  Saudi Embassy in Washington said that Riyh "takes any allegations of ill-treatment of defendants awaiting trial or prisoners serving ir sentences very seriously," report said.

Khashoggi, a vocal critic of Saudi regime, was killed in  Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 last year, where he h gone to obtain paperwork certifying his divorce with his former wife Alaa Nassif in order to be able to re-marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz.

After presenting several contrictory ories, Saudi Arabia ackwledged that Khashoggi was killed in consulate premises in what country's n Foreign Minister el al-Jubeir h described as a "rogue operation".

According to  US intelligence ncies, murder of Khashoggi was enacted upon orders by Saudi Crown Prince. However, Saudi Arabia repeatedly rejected all allegations against its Crown Prince, ding that it is committed to bringing perpetrators to justice.