According to a report in New York Times, in 2018, the four men responsible for the elimination of Jamal Khashoggi, a US resident who was a Washington Post journalist, received paramilitary training in the United States.
A New York Times report on Tuesday, stated that the training’s nature was defensive. It was devised to protect Saudi leaders. The training was given under a contract approved by the US state department, NYT said citing documents and people familiar with the developments.
The top executive of the firm that provided the training confirmed his company’s role in written answers to the US Congress.
The private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management owned the Tier 1 Group that provided the training.
“Safe marksmanship” and “countering an attack” were included in the training, said the NYT report, quoting the company that claims that the training was devised for the improved protection of Saudi leaders.
The New York Times report also pointed out at the American officials who approved the training.
The state department spokesperson, Ned Price responded to the report and said that they cannot comment “on any of the licensed defence export licensing activity alleged in media reporting”.
R. Clarke Cooper, the assistant secretary of state for political- military affairs during the Trump administration said, “No government is going to flush a significant bilateral relationship over this murder, no matter how horrific it was.”
