Saudi Arabia's prime suspect in the 2018 murder of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi has reinstated his account, which was permanently suspended under the previous owner of Elon Musk's social media company X. Ta.
Saud al-Qahtani, once a key advisor to Mohammed bin Salman, was “directly involved” in Khashoggi's murder. According to US intelligence assessments Announced by the Biden administration in 2021.
The account was suspended again hours after the Guardian reported that it had been reinstated. X has not commented on this change.
A US assessment found that the crown prince had approved a gruesome operation in Turkey that killed a Washington Post columnist who was dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The U.S. assessment also said that the group that traveled to Istanbul to target Khashoggi included employees of the Saudi Research and Media Affairs Center (CSMARC), which Qahtani heads. It was included. In that role, he was dubbed the “Lord of the Flies,” or Twitterbot, among Saudi dissidents.
Mr. Kaftani and his subordinate Maher Mutreb were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in 2018 for their involvement in Mr. Khashoggi's murder. Mr. Qaftani appeared to disappear from public view after being sanctioned, but Saudi prosecutors ruled in December 2019 that the sanctions had been imposed. no evidence Linking Qaftani to the murder of a journalist.
It is unclear why Qahtani's account was reinstated and then suspended again. Experts have speculated that this may have been part of Musk's broader attempt to reinstate previously suspended users, or that it was simply an unintentional technical glitch. .
Saudi Arabia is a major investor in X through its stake in Kingdom Holding, an investment vehicle controlled by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and its investments in the platform date back to 2011.
The company formerly known as Twitter First Mr. Kaftani's account was suspended in September 2019.about a year after he was allegedly removed from his role as an advisor to the Crown Prince. The company announced in a blog post at the time that the “permanent” suspension was the result of a violation of the platform's operating policies. This was part of a broader move to shut down Saudi “state media institutions” that amplified pro-Saudi messages across social media networks.
After being suspended in 2019, Qahtani's account, which had 1.2 million followers, went blank and the words “account suspended” appeared below the handle. The account then came back online, but was suspended again a few hours later.
A review of past tweets shows that the Saudi adviser visited New York in late September 2018, days before Khashoggi's murder.
It's unclear what role, if any, Musk played in restoring Kaftani's account. The move comes as the billionaire has played a key role in supporting Republican candidate Donald Trump's candidacy.
“The man accused of involvement in the murder of a Saudi journalist, who was also suspended for manipulating Twitter, and who personally created a blacklist of people critical of the Saudi regime’s policies, faces an indictment that speaks volumes about the current state of X. I had my account restored,” Mark Owen-Jones said.
Jones said it's possible the accounts were restored due to a technical glitch, but said X is “very much a black box” and it's difficult to know. He said Musk's efforts to reinstate previously banned users have gone “global” and may have been reinstated as part of an automation push.
“However, since the Saudis have a significant stake in Company X, it is possible that they are using that influence, or that there is some pressure to bring Company X back and rebuild it. There is also [him]. “At the end of the day, we don't know why he came back, but strange mistakes and glitches can happen,” he said.
Ann Investigation by disinformation experts The 2023 DFRLab found that a network of 28 pro-Saudi X accounts appeared to be coordinating efforts to have Mr. Musk reinstate Mr. Kaftani's account. The investigation found that mostly anonymous accounts “demonstrated a pattern of using similar text and graphics to promote Kaftani and the kingdom,” as well as Saudi Arabia, tourism, the Saudi role in Ukraine's mediation, and Expo 2030. It turned out that there was also content promoting the event.
Mr. Musk has brought back several controversial figures who had previously been banned, including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Mr. Trump.
“By restoring the accounts of individuals who violate the platform's policies, malicious actors can take advantage of the change in Twitter leadership to use their manipulative tactics without fear of consequences, as seen in this case.” “It is now possible to adapt,” DFRLab concluded.
Company X's media outlet did not respond to requests for comment.
