Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent at least 11 messages to the adviser who oversaw the effort to kill Jamal Khashoggi in the hours around the journalist's killing, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

According to a classified CIA report obtained by The Wall Street Journal, the crown prince's messages to aide Saud al-Qahtani suggest he "personally targeted" Khashoggi and "probably ordered his death."

"personally targeted" Khashoggi and "probably ordered his death." The killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a vocal critic of Saudi leadership, has set off a firestorm of demands from US lawmakers for a strong response to the kingdom as the White House has been reluctant to assign blame to the crown prince.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent at least 11 messages to the adviser who oversaw the effort to kill Jamal Khashoggi in the hours around the journalist's killing, according to a classified CIA report obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

The crown prince told his advisers "we could possibly lure him outside Saudi Arabia and make arrangements" if Khashoggi, who was previously based in Virginia, did not return to Saudi Arabia.

The Journal reported that CIA analysis of the communication "seems to foreshadow the Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi."