Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Again Denies Order Of Killing Journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman told CBS News that while he takes "full responsibility" for the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, he denies that he ordered the murder to carried out.

"This was a heinous crime," Bin Salman said in an interview with "60 Minutes," which aired Sunday. "I take full responsibility as a leader in Saudi Arabia, especially since it was committed by individuals working for the Saudi government."

Bin Salman blamed the country's large bureaucracy for not knowing about who ordered the killing, with the Saudi Arabian government having millions of employees. "It's impossible that the 3 million would send their daily reports to the leader or the second-highest person in the Saudi government," he said.

Khashoggi was a Saudi-born journalist and was a U.S. resident. He was a frequent critic of the Saudi monarchy and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

In October 2018, Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. He never came out of the consulate, with his disappearance causing alarm throughout the international community.

It was later determined that Khashoggi had been killed while in the consulate. The United Nations and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency had both determined that it was highly likely that Bin Salman had ordered the killing.

There has been criticism directed at President Donald Trump for perceived inaction to change the U.S.-Saudi relationship. Saudi Arabia is a top oil producer and buys American weapons.

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's Turkish fiancée, has repeatedly tried to get the Trump administration to change its stance on the issue.

"There was lack of reaction in the EU and in the United States," Cengiz said last week. "This should have been a lesson to Saudi Arabia that they can and should also be held responsible."

In the EU, France's weapons sales to Saudi Arabia jumped 50% percent despite Khashoggi's murder.