Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist days after his disappearance, The Washington Post reported.

The sharp criticism came in a phone call with President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and national security adviser John Bolton — before the kingdom publicly acknowledged Khashoggi’s death, the Post reported, citing unnamed sources.

In the call, Salman urged Kushner and Bolton to preserve the U.S.-Saudi alliance, saying Khashoggi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group long opposed by Bolton and other senior Trump officials.

The private criticism is in contrast with the Saudi government’s later public statements that called Khashoggi’s death a “terrible mistake” and “terrible tragedy.”

In a statement released to the Post, Khashoggi’s family called the criticism “ridiculous.”

“Jamal Khashoggi was not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He denied such claims repeatedly over the past several years,” the family said, according to the Post. “Jamal Khashoggi was not a dangerous person in any way possible. To claim otherwise would be ridiculous.”

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