On this day seven years ago, the world lost a brilliant thought leader, journalist, husband, father, and grandfather: Jamal Khashoggi. As his widow, my loss was compounded by the obfuscation of exactly what happened in the days and weeks leading up to his premeditated murder.
Key pieces of evidence that hold these answers rest in Jamal’s personal devices: two mobile telephones, a laptop and a tablet. I believe those devices will reveal previously undisclosed details about Jamal’s murder that are critical to knowing the full truth and advancing the cause of justice. Those devices are in the possession of the government of Turkey.
Through the critical work of Citizen Lab, I learned my devices were targeted with the NSO Group’s Pegasus Spyware. This insidious spyware has “zero-click” capabilities which is able to infect devices, triggering voice and camera surveillance, without the victim ever knowing.
Further examination of my devices not only showed tracking by this spyware, but also evidence that another spyware, Cellebrite, had been implanted on my devices and downloaded all my communications with Jamal. All this occurred in 2018, before Jamal’s murder, and while I was under 17 hours of harrowing interrogation by United Arab Emirates intelligence authorities.
I was heartbroken to discover that my devices had been compromised, as Jamal and I constantly discussed our plans for the future, including our travel plans. Who was listening in on us and when? Is this how they knew Jamal’s every movement and travel plans? I suspect Jamal’s phones were equally compromised at the direction of the Saudi government.
In 2019, Turkish authorities stated that they were holding Jamal’s phones, tablet and computer as part of their investigation, and the examination of those devices were “ongoing.” I hoped that during the highly anticipated trial in Turkey, the prosecutor would reveal key evidence they had collected on Jamal’s devices. But this was never to be, as the trial in Turkey was abruptly halted and moved to Saudi Arabia without any answers.
I have personally asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for my husband’s devices. During the Biden administration, I also turned to the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, to assist me in securing these devices. Both efforts faltered.
It is anticipated that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, may visit President Trump in Washington, D.C. this November. While some want to believe that my husband’s murder is a closed case, many issues still remain unresolved and unanswered seven years later. It is critical to the cause of justice to know if Jamal’s devices were infected by NSO’s spyware and who implanted that spyware on my husband’s devices. As his wife, I deserve to know the truth.
Hanan El Khashoggi is the widow of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist who was killed on Oct. 2, 2018 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
