The Wall Street Journal on Friday published a report on the role played by Maj. Gen. Ahmed Asiri and former adviser Saud al-Qahtani in planning the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside his consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
Although the two men were accused of involvement in the operation, and their dismissal from office, they are still free, according to sources told the newspaper.
According to the report, the authorities subjected Asiri and al-Qahtani to interrogation, limiting their movements, but none have been arrested so far.
According to informed sources, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was deeply saddened by his father's decision to dismiss Asiri and al-Qahtani after he received reports from the Turkish side about their involvement in Khashoggi's murder and attempted to cover them.
The report dealt with the assignment of al-Qahtani previously to work to convince Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia, and that he wrote to Watasab, and informed him that the Crown Prince appreciates him and asks him to return to the country.
According to the report, Khashoggi told al-Qahtani once that he was surprised by the decline in his morals, but the adviser in the Royal Court did not respond to him.
The report notes that al-Qahtani played an important role in the controversial decisions of the Crown Prince, including the imposition of the blockade on Qatar in June 2017 and the arrest of women activists.
The report deals with Al-Qahtani's techniques in tracking down dissidents, attempting to incite them, harassing them and harassing their families if they refuse to return to Saudi Arabia and stop criticizing the policies of the Crown Prince.
In a letter sent to activist Manal Al Sharif, who lives in Australia, Al-Qahtani wrote: "Welcome to my sister Manal, your beautiful article, God protects you, my dear sister, my experience when you need any service."
Al-Qahtani referred to an article written by the activist about lifting the ban on women driving a car. In the conversation, Al-Qahtani offered her help in obtaining a visa for her son so that he could travel with her to the Kingdom.
Al-Sherif said she welcomed Al-Qahtani's offer at the beginning, but she later doubted it and refused to return to Saudi Arabia.