Washington DC, Oct. 24 -- Former officer in the USA's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Kiriakou, in a stunning revelation, disclosed that the America had refrained from eliminating Abdul Qadeer Khan, the architect of Pakistan's atomic bomb and a prolific proliferator of nuclear technology, after 'direct intervention' by the Saudi government.

In an interview with ANI, the former agent, who spent 15 years in the CIA as an analyst and later as part of its counterterrorism operations, said the US had full operational details of Khan, including his whereabouts and daily routine, but was told to stand down following Saudi pressure.

"A colleague of mine was dealing with A Q Khan," Kiriakou said. "If we had taken the Israeli approach, we...