As efforts to distance Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman from the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi intensify, UAE Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s chief hitman in the region Mohammad Dahlan is said to have been hospitalized in Dubai with “a broken neck,” following a brawl that broke out on a luxury yacht in the oil-rich emirate after Dahlan refused to become the new “scapegoat” for the consulate murder.

At the yacht party held in honour of bin Salman, Dahlan allegedly got an offer to be the main actor of the Khashoggi murder, and was badly beaten by a team in Dubai after he refused.

Mohammed Dahlan, the former security chief for the Palestinian Authority who is also known as the “hitman” of the Middle East, was the main mediator between the UAE government and an assassination squad in Yemen.

Khashoggi, a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, was killed on Oct. 2 inside the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul.

Under heavy protection

Dahlan is said to have been taken to a private Dubai hospital immediately after the brawl on the yacht.

People close to Dahlan made statements saying he was receiving treatment following an accident which were retracted a few hours later.

A Saudi source told Yeni Şafak daily that Dahlan was hospitalized with a “broken neck” and that he was placed under heavy protection at the hospital with nobody allowed to visit him.

The source went on to say that this could be “only the beginning of several shocking development to come in the next few days.”

Dahlan to take fall for Khashoggi murder

It is said that both the Saudi and Emirati crown prices have been working on a scenario with U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner that would implicate Dahlan in the Khashoggi murder, letting him take the fall for the consulate operation as a way to “put a lid on the case.”

Dahlan, who is of Palestinian origin, played an active role in assembling a “cover-up team” of four tasked with erasing all traces of the gruesome murder, according to an informed source who spoke to Yeni Şafak daily on the condition of anonymity.

The new version of events, which will be revealed in the coming days, and documents will surface, presenting Dahlan as the sole perpetrator of the Khashoggi murder, which will be the first step to exonerate Crown Prince bin Salman.

The CIA believes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi, sources familiar with the matter said, complicating President Donald Trump's efforts to preserve ties with a key U.S. ally.

The sources said the CIA had briefed other parts of the U.S. government, including Congress, on its assessment, which contradicts Saudi government assertions that Prince Mohammed was not involved.

Dahlan’s replacement is ready

A few names are in the running to replace Dahlan as the UAE prince’s chief hitman in the region is set to be sidelined.

UAE Crown Prince bin Zayed is said to be considering Palestinian Samir Mashharawi, who served for years in Fatah, as a replacement for Dahlan and had him flown to Dubai for this purpose.

An informed Palestinian source told Yeni Şafak dialy that a rift had opened between supporters of President Mahmoud Abbas and those close to Dahlan.

The source went on to say that Mashharawi will end up serving the same purpose as Dahlan, with the help of Fatah official Rashid Abu Shubbak.

Khashoggi killed two months after Saudi used Israeli spyware to hack messages: CNN Two months after Saudi authorities intercepted communication between journalist Jamal Khashoggi and activist Omar Abdulaziz, Khashoggi was killed inside Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate, CNN reported."The hacking of my phone played a major role in what happened to Jamal, I am really sorry to say," Abdulaziz told CNN. "The guilt is killing me."Khashoggi did not refrain from criticizing Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in over 400 WhatsApp messages with Abdulaziz in which the pair discussed opposition projects."He loves force, oppression and needs to show them off," Khashoggi wrote about Salman, "but tyranny has no logic."Khashoggi dubs Salman a “beast”"The more victims he eats, the more he wants. I will not be surprised if the oppression will reach even those who are cheering him on," Khashoggi said in a message sent in May.Dubbing Salman a “beast,” Khashoggi and Abdulaziz started organizing an online youth movement to hold the Saudi administration accountable."[Jamal] believed that MBS is the issue, is the problem and he said this kid should be stopped," Abdulaziz told CNN.Once Khashoggi became aware that his conversations with Abdulaziz were hacked, he wrote “God help us.”Israeli software used to hack Saudi dissidentsAbdulaziz on Sunday filed a lawsuit against the NSO Group, an Israeli company responsible for the software he says hacked his phone, CNN reported.“NSO should be held accountable in order to protect the lives of political dissidents, journalists and human rights activists,” said Alaa Mahajna, Abdulaziz’s lawyer.Court papers state that they will argue that access to the communication between Abdulaziz and Khashoggi “contributed in a significant manner to the decision to murder Mr. Khashoggi.”The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab noted that Abdulaziz’s phone was hacked by military-grade spyware.The spyware was invented by Israel’s NSO Group, and is used at the request of Saudi authorities.Saudi officials invited Abdulaziz to consulateTwo government officials had also invited Abdulaziz to visit the Saudi embassy, saying Salman himself was offering him a job."We have come to you with a message from Mohammed bin Salman and his assurance to you," one of the men said to Abdulaziz.The officials also mention Saud al-Qahtani, a former top aide for Salman who was fired for links to the Khashoggi murder."If Saud al-Qathani himself hears your name, he will immediately know and you can meet with Prince Mohammed directly," says one other man.Abdulaziz followed Khashoggi’s advice and did not visit the consulate, instead only meeting the Saudi officials in public places.Khashoggi killingOn Oct. 2, Khashoggi went against his own advice and entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a visit that cost him his life.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed and dismembered shortly after he entered the Saudi consulate.After weeks of saying he had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration later admitted he was killed there, blaming his death on a group of rogue Saudi operatives.Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi's killing: reportErdoğan says Khashoggi killing a 'test' for the worldSaudi Crown Prince sidelined in G20 family photoMacron says global experts needed for Khashoggi probesUK PM urges Saudis to cooperate with Turkey‘Trump part of Khashoggi cover-up’