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Officials in front of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen alive.
Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
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Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
Officials in front of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen alive.
Anadolu Agency / Getty Images
The Saudi prosecutor said Thursday that the assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his consulate in Istanbul was premeditated, which further upset the course of Saudi Arabia's story.
The last time Khashoggi was seen alive, he entered the consulate on October 2 and Saudi Arabia initially denied any involvement in his disappearance. Last week, his government changed its story, saying that the US resident and Saudi policy critic had died at the consulate following a fight.
Turkey has been particularly skeptical of this claim. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this week that Khashoggi was "brutally murdered" in a Saudi operation, as reported by NPR.
The Saudi public prosecutor said Thursday that it had received "information from Turkey" during a joint investigation "that the suspects would have committed the act with premeditated intent".
"The prosecution is continuing its investigations with the accused in light of what he has received and the results of his investigations to establish the facts and complete the course of justice," reads the newspaper. official.
The report does not provide further details on the information that led to this conclusion, nor does it say whether the "premeditated" murder took place under the orders of the Saudi government.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Erdogan spoke on the phone on Wednesday, according to the official Turkish news agency Anadolu, and discussed "joint efforts to uncover all aspects of Khashoggi's murder," including the upcoming steps. The Crown Prince would have asked for the appeal.
Turkey continues to investigate the death of Khashoggi. The pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak reported Thursday that Turkish security forces had no right to search the garden and the consulate well, but that they were able to obtain water samples of Wells.
In the United States, CIA Director Gina Haspel returned from a trip to Turkey and was to brief President Trump on Thursday morning on the progress of the Khashoggi investigation.
The Washington Post and Reuters, quoting anonymous officials, said Haspel had heard audio evidence of the murder during his trip. The CIA refused to comment on the report to NPR.
As reported by NPR, at least 18 Saudi citizens have been arrested, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that 21 Saudi visas would see their US visas revoked and / or not see themselves issuing them. again.
According to Reuters, among the 18 Saudis arrested, "some were part of a team of 15 people, most of whom are Saudi intelligence agents, who flew to Istanbul a few hours before Khashoggi's death," sources said. Turkish security ".
Saudi Arabia is restructuring its general intelligence agency. On Thursday, the crown prince chaired the first meeting of the committee responsible for the reshuffle, according to Saudi media.
In remarks on Wednesday, the Crown Prince described the killing as "a heinous crime" and said those responsible should be brought to justice. The New York Times has previously reported that at least one of the suspects was close to the Crown Prince.
And on Thursday, the Anadolu news agency reported that at least four people who were fired following the murder are "known for their proximity to bin Salman".
