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Saudi's top diplomat said Saturday that the general outcry and media attention over the murder of a Saudi journalist earlier this month had become "hysterical", urging the public to wait the results of an investigation before blaming the highest leaders of the kingdom.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post editorial criticizing Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed by Saudi agents at the Kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.
WATCH: Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée rejects Trump's invitation to visit the White House
"This question has become quite hysterical," said Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. "I think people are blaming Saudi Arabia with such certainty before the end of the investigation."
Some of the people involved in the Khashoggi murder are close to Prince Mohammed, who is the apparent heir of the kingdom. His condemnation of the murder as "odious" and "painful" has so far not dispelled the suspicions that an operation of such magnitude could have been conducted without his knowledge.
Al-Jubeir spoke of the growing skepticism surrounding the alleged involvement of the Crown Prince. At an annual conference of international officials, including US Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Bahrain, he spoke.
WATCH: Khashoggi suggests Trump's rhetoric strengthens strong politicians
"We made it clear that we would conduct a full and transparent investigation, the results of which would be published. We made it clear that those responsible would be held responsible, "he said, adding that the kingdom has also put mechanisms in place to prevent this from happening.
"We try to find out what happened. We know that an error has been made. We know that people have exceeded their authority and are investigating them, "he said.
But he warned that "investigations take time".
"Unfortunately, there was media coverage of this hysteria about Saudi Arabia's guilt before the end of the investigation," he said.
Turkey alleges that a group of 15 members was sent to Istanbul to kill the journalist, a former Saudi insider turned critical of Prince Mohammed in the columns of the Washington Post. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the other three members of the 18-member group in Saudi Arabia were employees of the consulate.
Saudi Arabia said five officials, two of whom were working directly under the Crown Prince, have been dismissed. Al-Jubeir said Saturday that six people in total had been fired. King Salman instructed his son, the Crown Prince, to oversee the restructuring of the kingdom's intelligence services as a result of the killing.
WATCH: Khashoggi said Saudi activists and martyrs said the government was "intimidating" the government to "shut up"
Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey would unveil more evidence of the murder but did not rush into it, saying the Turkish authorities would methodically increase pressure on Saudi Arabia as the kingdom issues statements. contradictory in a vain and often clumsy attempt to end the conflict. crisis.
After three weeks of Saudi reports regarding the incident, this week's kingdom acknowledged that the killing was "premeditated", citing evidence from Turkish officials investigating what had happened. Saudi Arabia initially declared that Khashoggi had left the consulate on Oct. 2, before presenting various other stories that President Donald Trump had described as "one of the worst cover-ups in the history of concealment."
Turkey is asking Saudi Arabia to hand over the suspects in the murder, which the kingdom has described as dishonest operation by officials who have overstepped their orders or authority.
CIA director Gina Haspel, who was in Turkey earlier this week to review evidence, told Trump in Washington on Thursday.
The Saudi attorney general will arrive in Turkey on Sunday as part of the investigation and will meet with his Turkish counterparts, according to Erdogan.
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