Saudi suspects face death penalty

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia announced Thursday that it will seek the death penalty against five suspects in the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a killing that has seen members of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s entourage implicated in the writer’s assassination. Prosecutors announced that 11 suspects in the slaying attended their first court hearing with lawyers, but the statement did not name those in court. It also did not explain why seven other suspects arrested over the Oct. 2 killing at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul did not immediately face formal charges. The kingdom previously announced 18 people had been arrested. Saudi officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The killing of Khashoggi, who wrote columns critical of Prince Mohammed, has strained the decades-long ties the kingdom enjoys with the United States. It also has added to a renewed international push to end the Saudi-led war in Yemen. “The Public Prosecutor demanded imposing proper punishments against the defendants and is seeking capital punishment for five of the defendants for their direct involvement in the murder,” a statement from prosecutors said without elaborating. The suspects requested copies of the indictments they faced, as well as asked for more time to prepare for their case, prosecutors said. Prosecutors made a point to express concern about Turkey. They alleged that Turkish officials did not answer two formal requests made for evidence in the case. “To date, the Saudi Public Prosecutor has not received any response, and the Public Prosecution is still awaiting their response,” the statement said. Officials in Ankara could not be immediately reached for comment. Turkish officials have previously said they shared evidence with Saudi Arabia and other nations over Khashoggi’s killing. Turkey also has demanded Saudi Arabia extradite those 18 suspects to be tried there in Khashoggi’s killing. Turkish security officials have kept up a slow leak of videos, photographs and morbid details surrounding Khashoggi’s slaying to pressure the kingdom, as the two U.S.-allied countries vie for influence over the wider Middle East. Turkish media have published photographs of members of the crown prince’s entourage at the consulate in Istanbul before the slaying. Khashoggi’s body, believed to have been dismembered after his killing, has yet to be found. Information for this article was contributed by Suzan Fraser of The Associated Press; and by Ben Hubbard of The New York Times.