Saudi Arabia admits Jamal Khashoggi killed in Istanbul consulate

Saudi Arabia on Saturday admitted that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul, saying he died in brawl but made no mention of where his body is.

Saudi Attorney-General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb, in a statement, said that Khashoggi died after discussions at the consulate devolved into an altercation.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the discussions that took place between him and the persons who met him at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul led to a brawl and a fist fight with the citizen, Jamal Khashoggi, which led to his death, may his soul rest in peace,” Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement.

Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb further said, “The investigations are still underway and 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested.” “Royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Asiri were fired from their positions,” he added.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he found Saudi Arabia’s explanation about Khashoggi’s credible. “It’s early, we haven’t finished our review or investigation, but I think it’s a very important first step,” he said.

Notably, Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, who wrote critically of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) rise to power, went missing on October 2 after entering the consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage. His whereabouts remained unknown since.

Soon after the incident was reported, Turkey’s pro-government press reported that Turkey has an audio recording that proves the alleged murder of Khashoggi at the consulate and that he was tortured before his death. However, the Turkish government never confirmed the existence of the tape.

Also Read: Jamal Khashoggi disappearance case: Turkey denies giving audio tape to US