The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Murder suspects face death
Saudi Arabia: ‘Real perpetrators’ being sought over journalist’ s murder
Saudi Arabia’s top prosecutor said the death penalty was being sought against five suspects in the inquiry into the death in Istanbul of dissident Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, distancing the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman from the controversy.
Turkey replied by asking for the “real perpetrators” to be exposed after the announcement by Saudi investigators.
Chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb’s decision to seek the death penalty before trial is not unusual in Saudi Arabia. Facing mounting international pressure, prosecutors also pointed the finger at two men who were part of the crown prince’s inner circle, but stopped short of accusing them of ordering a hit on Mr Khashoggi.
The two are instead being accused of ordering Mr Khashoggi’s forced return in an operation the Saudis allege went awry.
In a press conference yesterday, Sheikh Shalan al-Shalan, spokesman and deputy attorney-general, said the October 2 killing was ordered by one man: the individual responsible for the negotiating team sent to forcibly bring Mr Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia. He did not disclose that individual’s name, but said he was part of a 15man team sent to Turkey comprised of three groups: negotiators, intelligence and logistics.
He said on the morning of the killing, the leader of the negotiating team saw that he would not be able to force Mr Khashoggi to return “so he decided to kill him in the moment”.
This appears to contradict a previous Saudi statement quoting Turkish intelligence saying the killing had been premeditated. His royal highness the crown prince has nothing to do with this issue. Mr al-Shalan said Mr Khashoggi’s killers had set in motion plans for the operation on September 29, three days before his death in Istanbul.
He said the killers drugged and killed the writer inside the consulate, before dismembering the body and handing it over for disposal by an unidentified local collaborator.
The brutal death of Mr Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who had been critical of the crown prince, has sent shock waves around the world and led analysts to believe a sensitive operation of this magnitude could not have been carried out without the prince’s knowledge.
Hours after the prosecutor’s announcement, Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told reporters the crown prince had “absolutely” nothing to do with the killing. “His royal highness has nothing to do with this issue,” he said.
The latest Saudi account of what took place failed to appease officials in Turkey, who insist the killing and its cover-up were carried out by the highest levels of government.