The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, the Washington Post has reported.

The Post said US officials expressed high confidence in the CIA assessment, which contradicts Saudi government assertions that he was not involved.

It is the strongest assessment to date linking Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler to the killing, and complicates Donald Trump’s efforts to safeguard US ties with one of the closest American allies in the region.

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The crown prince has denied any involvement or knowledge of the murder of Khashoggi, a contributing columnist for the Washington Post, on 2 October this year at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which he visited to get a document for his upcoming marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

Before leaving for California on Saturday morning to tour an area ravaged by wildfires, Trump told reporters that the CIA had not briefed the White House yet. But he added that he was planning to speak with them during the flight. “As of this moment, we were told that he did not play a role, we’re gonna have to find out what they say,” Trump said.

When pressed on what the White House would do if the crown prince was found responsible, Trump said: “We’re taking a look at it. You know, we also have a great ally in Saudi Arabia. They give us a lot of jobs and a lot of business and economic development. They have been a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development.”

The state department has declined to comment on the story.

The Post, citing people familiar with the matter, said the CIA reached its conclusions after examining multiple sources of intelligence, including a phone call that the prince’s brother – Khalid bin Salman, the Saudi ambassador to the United States – had with Khashoggi.

Khalid told Khashoggi he should go to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to retrieve the documents and gave him assurances that it would be safe to do so, the Post said. The newspaper, citing people familiar with the call, said it was not clear if Khalid knew Khashoggi would be killed, but he made the call at his brother’s direction.

Maher Mutreb, a security official who has often been seen at the crown prince’s side, made the call to Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to Prince Mohammed, to inform him the operation had been completed, the Post said, citing people familiar with the call.

After the Post published its story, Khalid bin Salman denied telling Khashoggi to go to Turkey. He tweeted that the last contact he had with Khashoggi was via text on 26 October 2017, nearly a year before the journalist’s death. “I never talked to him by phone and certainly never suggested he go to Turkey for any reason. I ask the US government to release any information regarding this claim,” he said in his Twitter message.

Khalid bin Salman خالد بن سلمان (@kbsalsaud) As we told the Washington Post the last contact I had with Mr. Khashoggi was via text on Oct 26 2017. I never talked to him by phone and certainly never suggested he go to Turkey for any reason. I ask the US government to release any information regarding this claim.

In a second tweet, he published what he said was his full response to the newspaper.

Khalid bin Salman خالد بن سلمان (@kbsalsaud) Unfortunately the @washingtonpost did not print our full response. This is a serious accusation and should not be left to anonymous sources. Our full response was the following: pic.twitter.com/vo1JcNAswx

Earlier this week Saudi Arabia said it would pursue the death penalty for five suspects charged with ordering and carrying out the killing. The Saudi public prosecutor claimed Saudi agents – including the head of forensics at the national intelligence service and members of Mohammed bin Salman security detail – had orders to abduct Khashoggi but decided to kill him when he resisted.

The claim had been contradicted by an earlier Saudi finding that the murder was premeditated. Mohammed bin Salman was not implicated in the murder, a spokesman for the prosecutor said.

With Reuters