Saudi Crown Prince's top aide ran the Khashoggi murder via Skype: Report

A top aide to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directed the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Reuters reported on Monday, citing Saudi, Turkish and Arab officials.

A high-ranking Arab source with access to intelligence and links to members of Saudi Arabia's royal court told the news agency that Saud al-Qahtani, a longtime adviser to bin Salman, was beamed into a room at the Saudi consulate via Skype.

He began to hurl insults at Khashoggi over the phone, Reuters reported. According to Arab and Turkish sources Khashoggi answered Qahtani's insults with his own.

Saud al-Qahtani ran social media for Saudi Arabia's crown prince. He masterminded the arrest of hundreds of his country's elite. He detained a Lebanese prime minister. And, according to two intelligence sources, he ran journalist Jamal Khashoggi's brutal killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by giving orders over Skype.

Saud al-Qahtani

Saud al-Qahtani was fired as Saudi Arabia's royal court adviser on Saturday, Saudi state media reported. The announcement came as the kingdom's state media said the missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, citing an official Saudi investigation. Courtesy: @SaudAlQahtani0

CCTV video of Saudi consulate

This combo image of frame grab sequence taken from CCTV video obtained by the Turkish broadcaster TRT World and made available on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018, purportedly showing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018.AP/PTI

Security personnel guarding Saudi consulate

Security personnel guarding Saudi Arabia's consulate are seen behind barriers blocking the road leading to the diplomatic mission, in Istanbul, Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the son of Jamal Khashoggi, the kingdom announced early Monday, to express condolences for the death of the journalist killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by officials that allegedly included a member of the royal's entourage. AP/PTI

Turkish forensic officers

Turkish forensic officers leave the Saudi consulate after they conducted a new search over the disappearance and alleged slaying of writer Jamal Khashoggi, in Istanbul, early Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak on Wednesday said it had obtained audio recordings of the alleged killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. AP/PTI

Security guards stand outside the Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul

Security guards stand outside the Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018. Turkey says it will investigate why journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, vanished there Oct. 2, an extraordinary probe of a diplomatic post amid Turkish officials' fears the writer had been killed inside the building. Saudi officials said he left the building unharmed.AP/PTI