Saudi Prince Says 'Overwhelming Proof' Iran behind U.S. Plot

A former chief of Saudi intelligence said Wednesday there was overwhelming evidence that Iran was behind a plot to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington and must "pay the price".

"The burden of proof is overwhelming... and clearly shows official Iranian responsibility for this. Somebody in Iran will have to pay the price, whatever the level of these persons is," Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal told a conference on oil in London.

The prince, who has also served as Saudi ambassador to the United States and Britain, said the alleged plan to kill the kingdom's current ambassador in Washington was "so criminal, it's beyond description".

The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday charged two men with conspiring with Iranian government factions to blow up Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir on U.S. soil.

A criminal complaint named Manssor Arbabsiar, 56, a naturalized U.S. citizen holding Iranian and U.S. passports, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of the Quds Force, a unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.