‘US must seek answers on Saudi scribe killing’

The US should “demand answers” from Saudi Arabia about the disappearance and alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post said late on Sunday, and punish the kingdom if cooperation is lacking.

Khashoggi, a contributor to the Post who has been critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, vanished after an appointment with Saudi officials on Tuesday at the consulate in Istanbul. A Turkish government source has said that police believe the journalist was murdered — a claim denied by Riyadh.

“The United States must now make a concerted effort to determine all the facts about Mr Khashoggi’s disappearance,” the Post said in an editorial, imploring Washington to “demand answers, loud and clear.”

Noting President Trump has treated Prince Mohammed as a “favoured ally,” it said the kingdom now should reciprocate with information about Khashoggi’s whereabouts. “If the crown prince does not respond with full cooperation, Congress must, as a first step, suspend all military cooperation with the kingdom,” the Post said, calling on Turkey to reveal any proof it has about Khashoggi’s alleged murder, and to “spare no avenue to investigate.”

It also said Riyadh should explain the presence of about 15 Saudi nationals, some of them officials, who travelled to Istanbul and were at the consulate at the same time as Khashoggi. “We are hoping against hope that Mr Khashoggi is unharmed and will soon return to his writing desk,” the Post said.

“If the reports of his murder prove true, grief must be accompanied by accountability for those who carried out the murder and those who ordered it.”

Khashoggi, 59, is a former government adviser who has criticised some of Prince Mohammed’s policies and Riyadh’s intervention in the war in Yemen.