SAUDI CROWN PRINCE SAYS KHASHOGGI KILLING ‘HEINOUS’, ‘PAINFUL’

RIYADH/ISTANBUL: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman promised on Wednesday that the killers of Jamal Khashoggi would be brought to justice, in his first public comments since the journalist’s murder sparked international outrage.

Mohammed told a major investment conference in Riyadh that Saudi Arabia and Turkey would work together “to reach results” on a joint investigation into the killing.

“The incident that happened is very painful, for all Saudis... The incident is not justifiable,” he said on a discussion panel. “Justice in the end will appear.”

The crown prince described cooperation between Riyadh and Ankara as “special” despite fierce criticism from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his aides.

Hours earlier US President Donald Trump, in his toughest comments yet, told the Wall Street Journal that the crown prince bore ultimate responsibility for the operation that led to the Saudi journalist’s killing.

Trump said he wanted to believe Prince Mohammed when he said that lower level officials were to blame for the October 2 killing at the Saudi embassy. But he suggested responsibility lay higher up: “Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. He’s running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him.”

His comments heaped pressure on his close ally amid a global outcry over the journalist’s death, and came hours before Prince Mohammed’s appearance at the Saudi investment conference. A number of high profile business and political figures have pulled out of the conference. Erdogan spoke to Mohammed on Wednesday and discussed steps needed to bring to light all aspects of the killing.