A Saudi official says this is the man who organized the operation that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi. “The agreement that we have with our friends in Washington, that we will continue to work together for the stability of the region.” His name is Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri. He’s a top Saudi intelligence official and is close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “We are friends with all the countries, we never have dispute. And if we have one, we resolve it through the dialogue, through the international law.” The kingdom is said to have issued a general order to return dissidents who are living abroad. An official says that when the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul reported Khashoggi was coming in for an appointment, Assiri dispatched a team of 15 men to confront him. The official says the situation escalated, and Khashoggi was strangled to death in a chokehold. Assiri’s high-ranking position gave him easy access to the crown prince. Mohammed bin Salman himself promoted Assiri from his previous position as the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen. “We confirmed from Day One that we are working hard to avoid collateral damage.” The war in Yemen has killed thousands of civilians. But Assiri often appeared in Western media outlets fiercely defending his government’s conduct. “Are you violating the rules of war, international law?” “Let me, let me tell you something.” “You are conveying wrong information.” “No, let me, let me — do you doubt that picture?” “Where was it taken?” “I don’t care.” “You never be in Yemen. You never see. You don’t have any witnesses. And you tried to convey something wrong. And I try to correct this kind of picture.” In October, Saudi state media announced that General Assiri and other high-ranking officials had been dismissed. By pinning Khashoggi’s death on Assiri, the crown prince may be seeking to deflect blame from himself, even though American intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced he is behind Khashoggi’s death.