Private messages depict Khashoggi's disapproval of the crown prince

Describes the crown prince as a 'beast' a 'pacman' who would devour all in his path, even his supporters

In public writings, Jamal Khashoggi's criticism of Saudi Arabia and its powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was measured. In private, however, the Washington Post columnist didn't hold back and reprimanded the Saudi prince, CNN reported.

In more than 400 messages which have resurfaced between Khashoggi and a fellow Saudi exile, the journalist described the crown prince as a 'beast' a 'pacman' who would devour all in his path, even his supporters.



CNN was granted exclusive access to the correspondence between Khashoggi and Montreal-based Saudi activist Omar Abdulaziz.

The messages shared by Abdulaziz which include voice recordings, photos and videos, paint a picture of someone deeply troubled by what he regarded as the petulance of his kingdom's powerful young prince.

"The more victims he eats, the more he wants," says Khashoggi in one message sent in May, just after a group of Saudi activists had been arrested. "I will not be surprised if the oppression will reach even those who are cheering him on."

Omar Abdulaziz. PHOTO COURTESY: CNN

The exchanges also highlighted a progression from talk to action, the duo had apparently began planning an online youth movement that would hold the Saudi state to account." [Jamal] believed that MBS is the issue and he said this kid should be stopped," Abdulaziz said in an interview with CNN.

But in August, when he believed their conversations may have been intercepted by Saudi authorities, a sense of foreboding descends over Khashoggi. "God help us," he wrote.

Two months later, Khashoggi was killed.



Abdulaziz on Sunday launched a lawsuit against an Israeli company that invented the software he believes was used to hack his phone.

"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."

This story originally appeared in CNN