| Salem Almuzaini was a high-level official in Saudi Arabia's secret police who was involved in counterterrorism operations. But once Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman moved to consolidate power in the kingdom, Almuzaini found himself detained as an enemy of the state. According to a harrowing account of his captivity filed in a Canadian court, Almuzaini was whipped, starved, battered with iron bars and electrocuted, writes David Ignatius. "The days passed, and I continued to fear hearing the keys and the door opening," Almuzaini writes. "I didn't know what was in store for me, whether torture or elimination." The torturers were apparently also connected to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul in October 2018. Almuzaini "told his wife that the people who were interrogating him included Maher Mutreb, publicly identified as the leader of the Istanbul hit team, and seven of its other members, according to his wife's affidavit. Among those present during his torture was MBS's close assistant, Saud al-Qahtani, the affidavit alleges." For Ignatius, the searing account of torture and persecution "offers a horrifying view of the lengths to which the regime under the crown prince, known as MBS, has gone to punish its perceived enemies."  (Danielle Kunitz / The Washington Post; Photos: Getty Images, Aljabri family photo) Salem Almuzaini was a senior official in the Saudi government. Then he was seized — and, he says, tortured — by the Saudi security forces he had once helped. By David Ignatius ● Read more » | | | | The testimony of Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell was an antidote to xenophobia. By James Hohmann ● Read more » | | | | The metaverse is coming. Many people may never notice. By Molly Roberts ● Read more » | | | Initially, I thought she was letting down her gymnastics team and her country. Now I see her side — and the historic sacrifice she's making. By Diana Nyad ● Read more » | | | | Just kidding I'm altering my position! By Alexandra Petri ● Read more » | | | | President Biden's proposed new "Buy American" executive order will upset many free market purists. They're wrong and Biden's right. By Henry Olsen ● Read more » | | | And almost no one is talking about it. By David J. Bier ● Read more » | | | | Fortunately, he and his administration were terrible at creating durable policy. By Paul Waldman ● Read more » | | | | A federal appeals panel tells the University of Iowa, regarding its moves against campus religious groups, "we are hard-pressed to find a clearer example of viewpoint discrimination." By George F. Will ● Read more » | | | |
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