Saudi Arabia’s official press agency has quoted a prosecutor as saying that evidence from the Turkish investigation into the murder of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi’s death indicates the killing was premeditated.
This contradicts previous Saudi media claims that Khashoggi’s death came by accident during a fistfight that broke out in the country’s consulate in Turkey.
“Information from the Turkish authorities indicates that the act of the suspects in the Khashoggi case was premeditated,” Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said in a statement cited by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
Khashoggi entered the consulate on October 2 to file paperwork to marry his fiancé, who was waiting outside.
Khashoggi was killed inside. Later, unnamed Saudi officials told the Associated Press that they planned to kidnap Khashoggi and question him in a safe house.
The Saudis brought along a body double to make it look like Khashoggi left on his own, they told the AP.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump jumped on Saudi Arabia for the handling of Khashoggi without assigning blame specifically.
“They had a very bad original concept,” Trump said. “It was carried out poorly, and the cover-up was one of the worst in the history of cover-ups. Very simple. Bad deal, should have never been thought of.”
“Somebody really messed up,” Trump said. “Whoever thought of that idea, I think is in big trouble.”
But Trump’s State Department was more specific. Twenty-one Saudis will have their US visas revoked or will be made ineligible for future visas, the State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Tuesday.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech that: “We have identified at least some of the individuals responsible, including those in the intelligence services, the Royal Court, the foreign ministry, and other Saudi ministries who we suspect to have been involved in Mr. Khashoggi’s death.”
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