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Saudi Arabia admitted Saturday
+ that critic Jamal Khashoggi was killed during a "fight" inside his consulate in Istanbul, an explanation that US President Donald Trump found credible, without however to convince the greatest American legislators.
The kingdom announced the arrest of 18 Saudis in connection with their investigation and the dismissal of two senior officials linked to
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
+ who faces increasing pressure as a result of the journalist's disappearance.
A man tied to the Saudi prince at the consulate when Jamal Khashoggi disappeared
The Sabah newspaper reported Thursday that the man was in front of the home of the consul general of Saudi Arabia, leaving Turkey October 2nd and leaving Turkey on October 2nd. pbading him in front of the barricades of the consulate police at 9:55, several men following him. Khashoggi arrived at the consulate a few hours later.
Khashoggi, a critic of the powerful crown prince of the Islamic petrophis and contributor to the Washington Post, was last seen on Oct. 2 in his country's consulate in Istanbul.
His disappearance was shrouded in mystery and sparked an international crisis. Turkish officials then accused Saudi Arabia of killing and dismembering his body.
The admission of his death after vehement denials of the Gulf kingdom comes as sanctions were imposed by the United States and cast doubt on the role played by Prince Mohammed in this case.
In the latest version of the events in Riyadh, Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said that Mr. Khashoggi had died as a result of his talks at the consulate, without revealing any details about his body's fate.
"The discussions that took place between him and the people who met him … at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul gave rise to a fight and a fist fight with the citizen Jamal Khashoggi, who led to his death, that his soul rest in peace, in peace, "said the attorney general in a statement.
The King of Saudi Arabia also ordered the establishment of a ministerial body under the chairmanship of the Crown Prince, known as the MBS, to restructure the kingdom's intelligence agency and to "define his powers accurately," according to the state press.
Deputy Intelligence Chief Ahmad al-Assiri and Royal Court Media Advisor Saud al-Qahtani, both senior aides to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, were fired.
The controversy has placed the kingdom – a leading Western ally and bulwark against Iran in the Middle East – for decades, under unprecedented pressure to offer an explanation for easing the burden of its leaders.
Prince Mohammed, a favorite of American authorities, experienced a major crisis. His image as an Arab reformer undergoing modernization has been seriously undermined.
US President Donald Trump said Friday he found credible Saudi Arabia 's claim that Khashoggi died as a result of a fight.
"Yes, yes," said Trump to the question of whether the explanation of the Saudis was credible, while adding, "It is early, we have not completed our review or our investigation . "
Trump had previously said that Washington could impose sanctions, but his administration had been particularly slow in criticizing the Gulf ally despite mounting evidence of what had happened to Khashoggi.
The case presented Trump with one of the most serious foreign policy crises of his almost two-year-old presidency.
"It took an intense international outcry for two weeks to recognize the evidence – that Khashoggi died, that he was killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia," said Kristin Diwan, from the Arab Institute of Gulf States in Washington.
"This gives you an idea of the immense financial and strategic interests that are invested in maintaining the United States partnership with Saudi Arabia and its rulers."
Saudi officials firmly denied any involvement of Prince Mohammed.
But a suspect identified by Turkey would be a frequent companion to Prince Mohammed, three others would be linked to his son's safety and a fifth would be a senior medical examiner, according to the New York Times.
The decision to reorganize the intelligence apparatus and dismiss members of the restricted circle of MBS is intended to "remove the crown prince from the murder," said the Eurasia Group badyst firm.
Completing the official speech, Ali Shihabi, head of the Saudi Foundation for the Saudi think-tank, who would be close to the government, tweeted that "Khashoggi has died as a result of a physical altercation, not of any kind." a bare-handed fight "a Saudi source of high rank.
But pro-government Turkish media have repeatedly claimed that Khashoggi was tortured and beheaded by a Saudi group inside the diplomatic mission, although Turkey has not yet disclosed details about l & # 39; investigation.
"Every story written by the Saudis to explain what happened to Khashoggi has put credulity to the test," Kristian Ulrichsen, a researcher at Baker Institute of Rice University, told AFP.
"Especially because the Saudis are still unable or unwilling to produce any of the evidence – an organ – that could provide a definitive answer one way or the other."
The UN chief, Antonio Gutterres, said he was "deeply troubled" by the revelation made on Saturday by the kingdom, adding that there must be a "total responsibility for those in charge" .
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, Trump's influential ally, said he doubted the Saudi authorities' new admission.
"To say that I am skeptical about the new Saudi story about Mr. Khashoggi is a euphemism," he tweeted.
Bob Menendez, the highest US Democratic Party in the Senate's Foreign Affairs Committee, called for sanctions, saying "we must maintain international pressure" on the kingdom.
The admission of Saudi Arabia comes after the Turkish authorities had broadened their investigation Friday, looking for clues in an Istanbul forest.
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