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Saudi Arabia claims that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered, accusing dishonest agents of committing a murder that sparked an international outcry.
Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News that the act was a "serious mistake" and denied the influential Crown Prince who had ordered the operation.
Saudi Arabia is under pressure to explain what happened to Mr. Khashoggi.
He was last seen in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul earlier this month to sort out the divorce papers.
Turkish officials believe that he was murdered by a team of Saudi agents inside the building.
Saudi Arabia initially said it had left the building unharmed, but on Friday it first recognized his death, claiming he was killed in a fight.
This statement, however, has generated widespread skepticism.
What's new among the Saudis?
In his comments, Mr. al-Jubeir described the incident as murder.
"We are determined to find out all the facts and to punish those responsible for this murder," he said.
"The individuals who did this did so outside of their authority," he added. "Obviously, a huge mistake has been made, and what has compounded the mistake is the concealment attempt."
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He also stated that they did not know where the body was and insisted that the action was not ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, considered the most influential personage from Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia announced the arrest of 18 people, the dismissal of two collaborators of Mohammed bin Salman and the establishment of an agency to reform the intelligence agency as a result of this incident.
What was the international reaction?
On Saturday, Trump said, "I'm not happy until we find the answer."
But the US president said that although sanctions may be possible, the suspension of an arms deal would "hurt us more than it hurt."
The United Kingdom, France and Germany issued a joint statement in which they were shocked by the death and demanded a detailed explanation stating: "Nothing can justify this murder and we condemn it in the strongest possible way" .
The Washington Post, which published articles by Khashoggi, said the Saudi government had "shamed and repeated several lies."
However, several neighbors and allies of Saudi Arabia have expressed their support.
Kuwait congratulated King Salman for handling the case, while Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates were among the similar congratulations.
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Also on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he would make a statement about it in parliament on Tuesday.
"We seek justice here and it will be revealed in all its naked truth," he said at a rally in Istanbul.
Where is the investigation now?
Although Turkey has so far not officially blamed Saudi Arabia for the murder, the investigators claimed to have audio and video evidence that Mr. Khashoggi was killed by a team of Saudi agents in the consulate.
Police searched the Belgrad Forest in Istanbul, where she thinks the body may have been kidnapped and that a leader was hoping his fate would be known "in a short time".
Copyright of the image
AFP
Investigators search the body in the forest of Belgrad
The consulate and residence of the Saudi consul were also searched.
Reuters reported Sunday that he spoke to a Saudi official who said that Mr. Khashoggi died in a suffocation after resisting any attempt to send him back to Saudi Arabia. His body was then rolled into a carpet and entrusted to a local "co-operator".
A Saudi agent allegedly put on Mr. Khashoggi's clothes and left the consulate.
The official said that the Saudi statements had changed because of "false information reported internally at the time".
