Twitter has removed networks of pro-Saudi Arabian bots that attempted to spread the country's perspective of the missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi's case.

The microblogging website took action Thursday after NBC News notified it of hundreds of accounts that spread the same pro-Saudi government tweets simultaneously. The list NBC provided was compiled by Indiana-based information technologies specialist Josh Russell, that the news network said previously exposed similar influence campaigns on Reddit and Twitter.

Twitter told NBC it was aware of the alleged Saudi campaign, and had suspended even more accounts than it was informed of.

Some of the bots that were suspended tweeted using a hashtag that trended Sunday, which roughly translated to "#We_all_trust_Mohammad_Bin_Salman."

Suspicion has grown that bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, ordered the assassination of Khashoggi who has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

The source of the bot network is not immediately clear, according to NBC.

On the day of his disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

On Wednesday, crime scene investigation units arrived at the official residence of Saudi Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi around 4.40 p.m. local time (1340GMT). Al-Otaibi had left Turkey for Riyadh on Tuesday.

Officials from a joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case early Thursday after searching the residence as well as the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. </s> Twitter confirms that it has moved to suspend scores of suspected bot accounts that began dispensing an unusually high volume of tweets that were determined to have spread disinformation and promoted allegiance to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance.

Many of the those removed from the Jack Dorsey-run social media platform reportedly came from a list of hundreds of handles that was compiled and passed over by IT sources of NBC News last week. Twitter has revealed that it was aware of the suspicious accounts prior to Thursday’s, October 18, announcement. The company’s decision to finally come down on the alleged coordinated operation followed a weekend that saw some of the Arabic hashtags included in the posts trending worldwide.

While a percentage of those who wound up pushing the Saudi-bias campaign is believed to be comprised of credible users, analysts are calling attention to the nature of some of the more active accounts that the data points to as causing doubt that the spike in activity was completely organic. Researchers such as Josh Russell and Ben Nimmo informed Newsweek that there had specifically been an explosion of retweets being simultaneously pumped out to spread content in the kind of uniform fashion that would suggest semi-automation tactics to have been at work.

“There are multiple bot networks, and the main aim appears to be to manipulate trends to hide negative information about Saudi’s involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance. The sheer amount of bots drives down critical trends while promoting banal information or pro-MBS [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] propaganda,” researcher Marc Owen Jones told the publication.

Some of the propaganda going around reportedly aimed to discredit the Al Jazeera news network as a Qatar-owned opponent of the Saudi royal family, while other narratives that the tweets promoted sought to defame Khashoggi as an alleged proponent of the Muslim Brotherhood and question the validity of his fiancee Hatice Cengiz’s relationship to him. Meanwhile, a great deal of spin was put on the allegations with the intention of generating a wave of support for the Saudi prince, according to reports.

Khashoggi has been missing for over two weeks. He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey on October 2. Cengiz vouches that he had gone to obtain paperwork proving that he was effectively divorced from his last marriage so that they could marry. But he was never seen again, and with him having lived in exile as a critic of the Saudi royal regime, it is suspected that he may have been murdered and disposed of on that day.

Twitter thus far claims to have no evidence that would prove the botnet activity it took action to stifle was directly facilitated by the Saudi government. </s> SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a “free speech-driven” space.

The unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters.

The influx of users has created unusual bedfellows on Parler, which has mostly been a home for supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump after starting up a year ago.

An analysis by Reuters and Citizen Lab, a Canadian research group, found that many of the new users came from Saudi Arabia. They promoted their use of Parler with hashtags on Twitter, which they accuse of stifling expression by arbitrarily banning users.

“The nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it known that big tech is censoring them at rates we have never experienced in the United States,” Parler wrote in a post on its own account on the site. “Let us welcome them as we all fight for our rights together.”

Twitter declined to comment on whether the platform had taken any new action against Saudi accounts that could have triggered the sudden sign-ups on Parler. It was not clear how many of the new Parler users had stopped using Twitter.

Some of the new Parler accounts used the hashtag #Twexit or shared cartoons of blue birds in distress, using Twitter’s logo to suggest the platform’s decline. Other users tweeted threats to leave Twitter directly at chief executive Jack Dorsey.

Saudis are prolific users of social networks, particularly Twitter. The kingdom has Twitter’s largest user base in the Middle East, with 11.7 million people on the platform, according to Arabic social media monitoring firm Crowd Analyzer.

“It is great to be here guys. Twitter and other major platforms are not our place anymore. Everyday[sic] hundreds of #Saudi accounts are suspended for NO reason,” a user called @5a1di, who has 109,000 followers on Twitter, posted on Parler.

Twitter has previously acknowledged pulling down hundreds of “inauthentic” accounts that pushed talking points favorable to the Saudi government, which has built an “electronic army” tasked with furthering its agenda online. [nL8N1XA87R][nL8N1X2266]

Some Saudi nationalists, who vociferously support the country’s influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now share an online space with right-wing U.S. backers of Trump.

U.S. right-wing social media users have flocked to messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab as well as Parler, citing the more aggressive policing of controversial political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Matze, who describes himself as libertarian, says he founded Parler in 2018 as a bipartisan platform but has doubled down on marketing to conservatives as they took to the site.

Those who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter’s New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site.

Some Saudi users emphasized common ground with Trump supporters. They shared photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and used emojis of the two countries’ flags and Trump’s #MAGA hashtag.

Offline, the Trump administration has forged strong ties with Riyadh, which it regards as the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop abroad as president in 2017.

But the Saudi newcomers on Parler were met with mixed reactions from users, with some echoing the site’s welcome while others expressing anti-Muslim sentiments.

The Reuters-Citizen Lab analysis looked at 28,000 tweets under the hashtags #parler, #parlerksa - using an acronym for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and an Arabic-language version of #parler sent out between last Friday and Tuesday.

More than half of the tweeters using those hashtags had their language set to Arabic. Of those who reported their location, about a third said they were in Saudi Arabia.

One of the earliest Arabic-language tweeters to jump on the #parler hashtag, who goes by @NadiaBintFahad, warned on Friday: “Twitter management will be taught a lesson they won’t forget.”

Speaking by phone from Riyadh, Nadia, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters she was a 28-year-old woman who had studied in Australia. She said she heard about Parler from American figures on Twitter and had watched an interview Matze did with the conservative Blaze TV.

She does not know much about U.S. politics, she said, but expressed support for Trump and frustration with Twitter for banning Saudi users without explanation.

Many English-speaking Parler users called for a translate button so they could read the new content on the site. Others expressed doubts about the newcomers’ authenticity.

“GET RID OF THESE BOTS AND MAKE THIS SITE USABLE AGAIN THANKS,” posted user @Voisine, referring to automated accounts.

Matze, who denied there were automated accounts on the platform, called it an “interesting merging” of the two groups.

“Most of them are getting along very well and share common ground on many issues,” he said. “Some are quickly regretting their views on free speech.” </s> SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a "free speech-driven" space.

The unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters.

The influx of users has created unusual bedfellows on Parler, which has mostly been a home for supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump after starting up a year ago.

An analysis by Reuters and Citizen Lab, a Canadian research group, found that many of the new users came from Saudi Arabia. They promoted their use of Parler with hashtags on Twitter, which they accuse of stifling expression by arbitrarily banning users.

"The nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it known that big tech is censoring them at rates we have never experienced in the United States," Parler wrote in a post on its own account on the site. "Let us welcome them as we all fight for our rights together."

Twitter declined to comment on whether the platform had taken any new action against Saudi accounts that could have triggered the sudden sign-ups on Parler. It was not clear how many of the new Parler users had stopped using Twitter.

Some of the new Parler accounts used the hashtag #Twexit or shared cartoons of blue birds in distress, using Twitter's logo to suggest the platform's decline. Other users tweeted threats to leave Twitter directly at chief executive Jack Dorsey.

Saudis are prolific users of social networks, particularly Twitter. The kingdom has Twitter's largest user base in the Middle East, with 11.7 million people on the platform, according to Arabic social media monitoring firm Crowd Analyzer.

"It is great to be here guys. Twitter and other major platforms are not our place anymore. Everyday[sic] hundreds of #Saudi accounts are suspended for NO reason," a user called @5a1di, who has 109,000 followers on Twitter, posted on Parler.

Twitter has previously acknowledged pulling down hundreds of "inauthentic" accounts that pushed talking points favourable to the Saudi government, which has built an "electronic army" tasked with furthering its agenda online.

Some Saudi nationalists, who vociferously support the country's influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now share an online space with right-wing U.S. backers of Trump.

U.S. right-wing social media users have flocked to messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab as well as Parler, citing the more aggressive policing of controversial political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.

Matze, who describes himself as libertarian, says he founded Parler in 2018 as a bipartisan platform but has doubled down on marketing to conservatives as they took to the site.

Those who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter's New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site.

Some Saudi users emphasized common ground with Trump supporters. They shared photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and used emojis of the two countries' flags and Trump's #MAGA hashtag.

Offline, the Trump administration has forged strong ties with Riyadh, which it regards as the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop abroad as president in 2017.

But the Saudi newcomers on Parler were met with mixed reactions from users, with some echoing the site's welcome while others expressing anti-Muslim sentiments.

The Reuters-Citizen Lab analysis looked at 28,000 tweets under the hashtags #parler, #parlerksa - using an acronym for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and an Arabic-language version of #parler sent out between last Friday and Tuesday.

More than half of the tweeters using those hashtags had their language set to Arabic. Of those who reported their location, about a third said they were in Saudi Arabia.

One of the earliest Arabic-language tweeters to jump on the #parler hashtag, who goes by @NadiaBintFahad, warned on Friday: "Twitter management will be taught a lesson they won't forget."

Speaking by phone from Riyadh, Nadia, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters she was a 28-year-old woman who had studied in Australia. She said she heard about Parler from American figures on Twitter and had watched an interview Matze did with the conservative Blaze TV.

She does not know much about U.S. politics, she said, but expressed support for Trump and frustration with Twitter for banning Saudi users without explanation.

Many English-speaking Parler users called for a translate button so they could read the new content on the site. Others expressed doubts about the newcomers' authenticity.

"GET RID OF THESE BOTS AND MAKE THIS SITE USABLE AGAIN THANKS," posted user @Voisine, referring to automated accounts.

Matze, who denied there were automated accounts on the platform, called it an "interesting merging" of the two groups.

"Most of them are getting along very well and share common ground on many issues," he said. "Some are quickly regretting their views on free speech."

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Tech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button. </s> Sen. Lindsey Graham on Tuesday blasted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the putative leader of Saudi Arabia, over the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, calling him "a wrecking ball" and alleging without citing evidence that he had the missing journalist "murdered."

"This guy is a wrecking ball, he had this guy murdered in a consulate in Turkey, and to expect me to ignore it, I feel used and abused," the South Carolina Republican said on "Fox and Friends."

Graham, who had previously been a staunch defender of Saudi Arabia, did not provide any evidence to support his claim that the crown prince is responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance.

Graham urged President Donald Trump to “sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia" and said bin Salman, who is often referred to by his initials, MBS, has "gotta go."

"We deal with bad people all the time, but this is in our face. I feel personally offended. They have nothing but contempt,” he said.

Graham then turned to the camera and said, "Saudi Arabia, if you’re listening, there are a lot of good people you could choose, but MBS has tainted your country and tainted himself."

Graham’s comments come just a day after NBC News, citing three people with knowledge of the situation, reported that Saudi Arabia’s government is discussing a plan to admit that Khashoggi was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.

According to two of the individuals, the Saudis are putting together an explanation that would absolve the crown prince of responsibility by giving him plausible deniability to say he didn’t order the killing and didn’t know about it.

A spokeswoman for the Saudi Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the discussions.

Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and critic of the government who wrote for The Washington Post, vanished on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, triggering a major diplomatic crisis for the kingdom.

Turkish authorities have told U.S. officials that they have recordings from inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that provide evidence that the missing journalist was killed inside. NBC News has not heard or seen any purported recordings.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Saudi King Salman and bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday to discuss the disappearance and alleged murder of Khashoggi. </s> Pressure from many world leaders continues to mount on Saudi Arabia weeks following this month’s disappearance of Saudi journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 for routine paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancée.

Meanwhile, the Saudi government remains defensive and defiant even as media outlets in Turkey and the U.S. report more allegations that Riyadh played a role in the disappearance and presumed slaying of Khashoggi.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in urging patience to allow the Saudi government to carry out its own investigation, said Thursday the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have a long history as allies.

“I think it’s important for us all to remember too that we have a long—since 1932—we have a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Pompeo told reporters outside the White House following his meeting with President Donald Trump about the situation. “They can be an important counterterrorism partner, they have custody of two holy sites, they are an important strategic alliance.”

“There are lots of stories out there about what happened, and I’m going to allow the process to move forward and allow the facts to unfold,” he said. “And as they unfold, we will make a determination for ourselves about what happened there, based on the facts that are presented.”

More: ‘A few more days’: Secretary of State Pompeo urges patience over missing journalist

The G7 Foreign Ministers — composed of top diplomats from Canada, France, Germany Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and United States — issued a statement on Wednesday saying they remain troubled by the disappearance of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the oil-rich kingdom living in self-imposed exile. The ministers said that those responsible for his disappearance must be held to account.

The G7 statement came days after the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France issued a joint statement calling for a complete and detailed response to the missing Khashoggi from the Saudi government.

On Wednesday, UK Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt posted a photo on his Twitter account with Washington Post CEO Fred Ryan, with whom he met in London, and said there was an urgent need to know what happened to Khashoggi.

This image taken from CCTV video obtained by the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet and made available on Oct. 9, 2018, claims to show Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018.

Federica Mogherini, European Union High Representative/Vice-President, said this week the EU expects “full clarity” and “full investigations” from Saudi authorities.

On Thursday morning, Amnesty International called on Turkey to ask the United Nation’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a U.N. investigation that would give its team complete access to travel and to interview potential witnesses and suspects responsible for the possible extrajudicial killing of Khashoggi.

“UN involvement is the best guarantee against a Saudi whitewash or attempts by other governments to sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative business ties with Riyadh,” said Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, in an Amnesty International statement.

Other groups joining with Amnesty International: the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders.

Jamal Khashoggi in a photo taken on December 15, 2014. The veteran Saudi journalist who has been critical of the government has gone missing after visiting the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on September 2, 2018, the Washington Post reported.

In an interview with the BBC, the UN Secretary-General called for a “strong quest for the truth.” When asked whether governments should attend the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh this month, he replied that governments should “act in the appropriate way” once there’s a clear answer as to what happened to Khashoggi.

In his comments Thursday to reporters, Pompeo said the U.S. made it clear to the Saudi government the seriousness of the allegations against them. “They assured me that they will conduct a complete and thorough investigation,” he said.

A short time later, after meeting with Trump and Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced on Twitter that he would not be attending the Oct. 23-25 conference dubbed “Davos in the desert.”

Many other high-profile attendees have dropped out of the investment conference including JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon, Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford, and Virgin Group found Richard Branson, according to the Financial Times. CNN reported that on Tuesday the International Monetary Fund said its chairman Christine Lagarde has deferred her trip to Riyadh for the conference.

With many world leaders strident in their calls for an investigation to hold and punish those responsible, Trump has oscillated in his stance from calling for “severe punishment” to floating theories of “rogue killers” to saying his administration is “not going to walk away from Saudi Arabia.”

The kingdom has denied any involvement in the alleged disappearance of Khashoggi and has been defiant in its defense.

“The Kingdom as the government and people are steadfast, glorious as ever, no matter whatever the pressures and circumstances might be,” said a statement released Monday in the wake of the international outcry.

Through their public relations arm the Saudi Press Agency, the kingdom published statements of support and solidarity from several countries and groups in the region, including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and the Arab League.

It reported, for example, that Jordan information minister Jumana Ghunaimat had issued a statement saying that “Jordan stands with Saudi Arabia in the face of any rumors and campaigns aimed at it without relying on facts.” </s> Pressure from many world leaders continues to mount on Saudi Arabia weeks following this month’s disappearance of Saudi journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 for routine paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancée.

Meanwhile, the Saudi government remains defensive and defiant even as media outlets in Turkey and the U.S. report more allegations that Riyadh played a role in the disappearance and presumed slaying of Khashoggi.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in urging patience to allow the Saudi government to carry out its own investigation, said Thursday the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have a long history as allies.

“I think it’s important for us all to remember too that we have a long—since 1932—we have a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Pompeo told reporters outside the White House following his meeting with President Donald Trump about the situation. “They can be an important counterterrorism partner, they have custody of two holy sites, they are an important strategic alliance.”

“There are lots of stories out there about what happened, and I’m going to allow the process to move forward and allow the facts to unfold,” he said. “And as they unfold, we will make a determination for ourselves about what happened there, based on the facts that are presented.”

More: ‘A few more days’: Secretary of State Pompeo urges patience over missing journalist

The G7 Foreign Ministers — composed of top diplomats from Canada, France, Germany Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and United States — issued a statement on Wednesday saying they remain troubled by the disappearance of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the oil-rich kingdom living in self-imposed exile. The ministers said that those responsible for his disappearance must be held to account.

The G7 statement came days after the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France issued a joint statement calling for a complete and detailed response to the missing Khashoggi from the Saudi government.

On Wednesday, UK Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt posted a photo on his Twitter account with Washington Post CEO Fred Ryan, with whom he met in London, and said there was an urgent need to know what happened to Khashoggi.

This image taken from CCTV video obtained by the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet and made available on Oct. 9, 2018, claims to show Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018.

Federica Mogherini, European Union High Representative/Vice-President, said this week the EU expects “full clarity” and “full investigations” from Saudi authorities.

On Thursday morning, Amnesty International called on Turkey to ask the United Nation’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a U.N. investigation that would give its team complete access to travel and to interview potential witnesses and suspects responsible for the possible extrajudicial killing of Khashoggi.

“UN involvement is the best guarantee against a Saudi whitewash or attempts by other governments to sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative business ties with Riyadh,” said Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, in an Amnesty International statement.

Jamal Khashoggi in a photo taken on December 15, 2014. The veteran Saudi journalist who has been critical of the government has gone missing after visiting the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on September 2, 2018, the Washington Post reported.

In an interview with the BBC, the UN Secretary-General called for a “strong quest for the truth.” When asked whether governments should attend the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh this month, he replied that governments should “act in the appropriate way” once there’s a clear answer as to what happened to Khashoggi.

In his comments Thursday to reporters, Pompeo said the U.S. made it clear to the Saudi government the seriousness of the allegations against them. “They assured me that they will conduct a complete and thorough investigation,” he said.

A short time later, after meeting with Trump and Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced on Twitter that he would not be attending the Oct. 23-25 conference dubbed “Davos in the desert.”

Many other high-profile attendees have dropped out of the investment conference including JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon, Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford, and Virgin Group found Richard Branson, according to the Financial Times. CNN reported that on Tuesday the International Monetary Fund said its chairman Christine Lagarde has deferred her trip to Riyadh for the conference.

With many world leaders strident in their calls for an investigation to hold and punish those responsible, Trump has oscillated in his stance from calling for “severe punishment” to floating theories of “rogue killers” to saying his administration is “not going to walk away from Saudi Arabia.”

The kingdom has denied any involvement in the alleged disappearance of Khashoggi and has been defiant in its defense.

“The Kingdom as the government and people are steadfast, glorious as ever, no matter whatever the pressures and circumstances might be,” said a statement released Monday in the wake of the international outcry.

Through their public relations arm the Saudi Press Agency, the kingdom published statements of support and solidarity from several countries and groups in the region, including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and the Arab League.

It reported, for example, that Jordan information minister Jumana Ghunaimat had issued a statement saying that “Jordan stands with Saudi Arabia in the face of any rumors and campaigns aimed at it without relying on facts.” </s> Several legitimate news agencies, citing the official state-run Saudi Press Agency, reported on 8 August 2018 that a man accused of murder had been executed and crucified in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca … as Saudi Arabia retaliated against Canada diplomatically for criticizing Saudi human rights abuses.

The juxtaposition of the Saudi kingdom’s lashing out about human rights abuses even as they engaged in a particularly gruesome form of capital punishment caused some viewers to question whether Internet memes reporting the circumstances could be believed:

Citing the official Saudi government-run news agency, the Associated Press reported that Elias Abulkalaam Jamaleddeen, a Myanmar national, was accused of breaking into a woman’s home and stabbing her to death, as well as stealing weapons, attempting to kill another man, and attempted rape. He was reportedly executed on 7 August 2018 using a rare (but not unheard of) form of capital punishment: “Crucifixions in Saudi Arabia entail hanging a body in public after an execution, and are unusual.”

The news came as Saudi Arabia aggressively reacted to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland and Global Affairs Canada, who openly criticized the Middle Eastern kingdom for imprisoning two human rights activists, Samar and Raif Badawi:

Saudi Arabia in turn accused Canada of interfering in their internal affairs:

In the resulting dust-up, the Saudis expelled Canada’s ambassador and recalled their own from Canada. In addition, the Saudis pledged to halt new business with Canada, pulled scholarships, grounded flights to and from Canada, and transferred their medical program out of the country.

The spat grew even more heated when a Twitter account associated with a Saudi youth organization tweeted, then deleted, an image many interpreted as threatening because it echoed the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 by showing an airliner flying toward Canada’s iconic CN Tower in Toronto. Most of the nineteen 9/11 attackers hailed from Saudi Arabia.

Infographic KSA, the group that shared the tweet, apologized for posting the image before their entire account was deleted. </s> WASHINGTON/RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia’s crown prince told him he did not know what had happened in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi went missing two weeks ago.

“Just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate,” Trump said on Twitter, referring to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and leading critic of the crown prince, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in the city on Oct. 2. Turkish officials say they believe he was murdered there and his body removed, which the Saudis strongly deny.

Trump dispatched U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Riyadh to discuss the Khashoggi disappearance with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, a U.S. friend for decades and an ally against Iran.

Trump wrote on Twitter that the crown prince was with Pompeo during the phone call with the president “and told me that he has already started, and will rapidly expand, a full and complete investigation into this matter. Answers will be forthcoming shortly.”

U.S. media outlets reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia will acknowledge Khashoggi was killed in a botched interrogation.

Overnight, Turkish crime scene investigators entered the consulate for the first time since Khashoggi’s disappearance and searched the premises for over nine hours.

Turkish investigators were expanding their search to include the Saudi consul’s residence in Istanbul and consulate vehicles, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

The Khashoggi case poses a dilemma for the United States, Britain and other Western nations. Saudi Arabia is the world’s top oil exporter and spends lavishly on Western arms and is a major Sunni Muslim ally.
Twitter suspends a bot network spreading pro-Saudi Arabia tweets regarding Kashoggi's disappearance.