What we know so far
- Saudi Arabia has admitted journalist Jamal Khashoggi died shortly after he entered the Saudi embassy in Istanbul after being caught up in a “fight”.
- Saudi Arabia has arrested 18 people whom they claim are connected with the incident.
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Two senior officials connected to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have been fired, they are Saud al-Qahtani, and General Ahmed al-Assiri, a senior intelligence officia.
- The announcement is being seen as a response to the global outrage at Khashoggi’s disappearance that seeks to insulate the crown prince, who still claims ignorance of the operation.
- Donald Trump told reporters he thought the explanation from the Saudi foreign ministry of Khashoggi’s death was “credible”.
- Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi embassy on 2 October. Saudi officials previously said the journalist had left the embassy alive and later that he had fallen victim to “rogue” elements.
- Republican and Democrat lawmakers have called on the US to halt sales of arms to Saudi Arabia and to conduct an independent investigation into Khashoggi’s death saying that any investigation by the Saudis could not be trusted.
Senator Rand Paul has called for all military sales and aid to Saudi Arabia to be halted immediately.
I could not agree more. We should also halt all military sales, aid and cooperation immediately. There must be a severe price for these actions by Saudi Arabia. https://t.co/ebi9dqYND8
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) October 20, 2018
What is the Magnitsky Act?
Some US lawmakers have been calling on the government to punish Saudis involved in Khashoggi’s death using the Magnitsky Act.
The act is a bipartisan bill signed into law by Barack Obama in December 2012. It was written in response to the death of Russian tax accountant Sergei Magnitsky, who was in Russia investigating fraud involving Russian tax officials. He was beaten to death in a prison in Moscow in 2009.
The Magnitsky Act allows the government to sanction human rights offenders, ban them from entering the US and freeze their assets.
Australian human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson, who represents some of the Magnitsky campaigners, said the Act was important as it provided “a way of getting at the Auschwitz train drivers, the apparatchiks, the people who make a little bit of money from human rights abuses and generally keep under the radar.”
Republican senator Bob Corke from Tennessee has called for the US to conduct its own investigation into Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, saying “we should not assume [Saudi Arabia’s] latest story holds water”.
“The story the Saudis have told about Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance continues to change with each passing day, so we should not assume their latest story holds water,” he wrote on Twitter.
“They can undergo their own investigation, but the U.S. administration must make its own independent, credible determination of responsibility for Khashoggi’s murder under the Global Magnitsky investigation as required by law.”
Saudi Arabia’s crown prince had no knowledge of the specific operation that resulted in Jamal Khashoggi’s death, a Saudi official familiar with the investigation has told Reuters.
“There were no orders for them to kill him or even specifically kidnap him,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity and adding that there was a standing order to bring critics of the kingdom back to the country.
“[Mohammed bin Salman] had no knowledge of this specific operation and certainly did not order a kidnapping or murder of anybody. He will have been aware of the general instruction to tell people to come back,” the source said.
Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the United States should pursue sanctions against Saudis involved in Khashoggi’s death under a US law named after Sergei Magnitsky, the anti-corruption Russian accountant who died in custody.
“The Global Magnitsky Act doesn’t have exceptions for accidents. Even if Khashoggi died because of an altercation, that’s no excuse for his murder,” Menendez tweeted. “This is far from the end and we need to keep up the international pressure.”
We have put together a timeline of the events leading up to and since Jamal Khashoggi’s death, which shows clearly how the Saudi Arabian government has resisted investigation into Khashoggi’s death and changed its tune about what happened to the journalist.
Friday 28 September
Khashoggi, after seeking assurances for his safety, visits the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to pick up paperwork he needs in order to get married. He is told to return next week when the documents will be ready.
Tuesday 2 October
The journalist pays a second visit to the Saudi consulate. Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s Turkish fiancee, waits outside the building for several hours with his personal effects including his phone – these are not allowed to be taken inside the diplomatic building – and then calls the police when he does not return.
Wednesday 3 October
The Saudi government issues a statement confirming Khashoggi is missing. It says he disappeared after leaving the consulate building the day before and it is working with the Turkish authorities to find him. Turkish officials say they believe Khashoggi is still inside the building, which they cannot search without an invitation.
Updated
Shadi Hamid, senior fellow at the policy thinktank the Brookings Institute, says the way the US responds to the Saudi announcement is “critical”.
“What we’ve seen by the Saudis over the past 16 days is one of the more sustained campaigns of dissembling and dishonesty by a supposedly close ally that I can remember: Flagrant, brazen, reckless, and without a shred of moral sensibility or human decency.
“The question is whether Saudi Arabia takes Americans — including members of Congress — as fools. How we respond is obviously critical. If we accept the Saudi cover-up, then it will build on the precedent that Mohammed bin Salman can get away with anything, setting the stage for more recklessness.”
Several Republican lawmakers have called for President Trump to act swiftly and decisively against Saudi Arabia, recalling their ambassador from the country.
As news of his death has been officially confirmed by the Saudi government, it is worth revisiting this obituary of Jamal Khashoggi, who was described by one friend as an exile who “longed to be home”. Ian Black, the Guardian’s former Middle East correspondent, writes:
The final chapter of Khashoggi’s life began just over a year before his death, when he left his home in Jeddah for self-imposed exile in the US. He attracted attention by writing columns for the Washington Post, focusing on the changes that had taken place since the ageing King Salman had appointed his youngest son, Mohammed, as crown prince in June 2017.
Khashoggi watched as Mohammed bin Salman sought to wean Saudi Arabia off its long dependence on oil and drove through unprecedented social changes that included lifting the ban on women driving. But his high-profile campaign against corruption meant locking up princes and businessmen in a luxury hotel and arbitrarily jailing or silencing critics, whether liberals or Islamists seeking political reform or conservatives alarmed by his approach.
Khashoggi came to the conclusion that Bin Salman was more rogue than reformer and could not succeed in delivering both modernity and freedom. Supporters of the crown prince accused Khashoggi of trying to revive an Islamist current that had been initially empowered during the Arab spring but defeated by the counter-revolutions in Egypt and the Gulf. Loyalist media called him traitor or an apostate, or implied that he was working for the Qataris.
Writing from afar, he helped US and western journalists, policy-makers and politicians understand what was happening in the kingdom. In March 2018, he wrote in the Guardian that Bin Salman “appears to be moving the country from old-time religious extremism to his own ‘You-must-accept-my-reform’ extremism, without any consultation – accompanied by arrests and the disappearance of his critics.” His last Washington Post column lambasted the “cruel” Saudi role in the war in Yemen. Days before his murder, he was a guest speaker at an international conference on Palestine in London. Khashoggi’s admirers described him as a shahid (martyr).
Jamal Khashoggi’s editor at the Washington Post has called the statement from the Saudi foreign ministry “utter bullshit”.
What I hate about the statement is the use of the passive construction to imply this was an accident. Jamal didn’t just “die during a struggle.” #Khashoggi was killed. By Saudi men. In a consulate. His life was taken from him.
— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) October 20, 2018
Karen Attiah, global opinions editor at the newspaper where Khashoggi was a columnist, wrote she was “freshly angry all over again” at the statement, in a series of tweets.
“What I hate about the statement is the use of the passive construction to imply this was an accident. Jamal didn’t just “die during a struggle”. Khashoggi was killed. By Saudi men. In a consulate. His life was taken from him.”
“Khashoggi was a 60 year old man. What sort of equal “fight” would he have had against 15 other men? And who brings a bone saw to a “discussion”?! The stupidity of the Saudi explanation is mind boggling.”
“And we are supposed to believe, that Mohammed Bin Salman had no knowledge of this, even though his right hand man has been implicated, and a team of 15 men flew in on private planes entered a consulate on foreign soil to carry this out?”
Donald Trump says Saudi explanation is 'credible'
Donald Trump has told reporters he find the Saudi explanation for Jamal Khashoggi’s death - that the journalist died after getting in a fight at the embassy in Istanbul - “credible”.
Answering questions at a visit to Luke Air Force base in Arizona, the US president welcomed the announcement from the Saudi government admitting that Khashoggi was dead, something they initially denied. He also said he thought third parties were involved in the death.
“Well, I think it’s a good first steps. It’s a big step. There’s a lot of people involved.”
Trump said the death was “unacceptable” and there would be a response from the US, but that he would wait to speak to the Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman before announcing the US response.
“Saudi Arabia has been a great ally, but what happened is unacceptable,” Trump says.
The president repeatedly said he would prefer that any retribution against Saudi Arabia does not include cancelling weapons contracts and that the US needs Saudi Arabia as a counterbalance to Iran in the region.
Updated
The Australian opposition leader Bill Shorten has called on the Australian government to the FII conference in Saudi Arabia, in response to the events surrounding the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
“I’m deeply concerned about the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and have been shocked by reports indicating foul play following his entry into the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul,” he said.
“Labor has joined with the Government, European Foreign Ministers and many other nations in calling on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, and hold to account those responsible for any harm that may have come to Mr Khashoggi.
“Freedom of expression and a free press are important values Australia shares with our European allies.
“Given the uncertainty around this disturbing event, and the results of investigations into it still pending, I do not believe it is appropriate at this time for Australia to attend the Riyadh “Future Investment Initiative” (FII) conference. Australia should join with our friends and allies in withdrawing any official Australian representation at the conference, and we call on the Government to do so.
“It is appropriate that as a country we send a strong signal of our concern over Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance, and our expectation that the Government of Saudi Arabia provides a forthright and accurate account of what has occurred.”
A person familiar with the Saudi investigation into the death of Jamal Khashoggi has been speaking to Reuters. They maintain that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “had no knowledge of this specific operation”.
The person also said that the Saudi consulate driver was among those involved, and that a group, which included the driver, handed over the body to a local person who assisted in the cover-up, though the source said they don’t know what happened to the body.
The source also said orders were “aggressively interpreted” and subsequent instructions were “more and more unspecific” resulting in the death and the attempt to cover it up.
Republic Congressman Mike Coffman has called on the president to recall the acting US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, saying “our country must stand up for our values and demand our ‘allies’ respect human rights.”
In a strongly-worded statement, the Colorado representative, who is a Marine combat veteran, said “I did not fight to have us look the other way. The United States and the rest of the international community must condemn the murder of Mr Khashoggi and the use of diplomatic posts as torture chambers for rogue nations.”
My statement on #JamalKhashoggi: pic.twitter.com/xqT5DTOn6M
— Rep. Mike Coffman (@RepMikeCoffman) October 19, 2018
A spokesperson for the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, said he was “deeply troubled” by the confirmation of Khashoggi’s death, and stressed the “need for prompt, thorough, transparent investigation” into the circumstances, and full accountability for those responsible.
And here is the full response from the White House, which has been criticised for its lack of expressed skepticism about the announcement from Saudi Arabia about how the death occurred.
Statement on Saudi Arabia Investigation: pic.twitter.com/DjBdwZAGAi
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) October 19, 2018
Here’s the full statement released by the Saudi Arabian ministry of foreign affairs, in which the government stresses its efforts to “clarify the truth” surrounding Khashoggi’s death. Here’s the key bit:
“The results of the preliminary investigations revealed that the discussions that took place with the citizen/Jamal Khashoggi during his presence in the Consulate of the Kingdom in Istanbul by the suspects did not go as required and escalated negatively which led to a fight between them and the citizen/Jamal Khashoggi, which aggregated [sic] the situation and led to his death, may God rest his soul, in addition to their attempt to conceal what happened and to cover it up.”
#STATEMENT | On the case of the disappearance of the Saudi citizen Jamal bin Ahmed Khashoggi pic.twitter.com/RmgOwtYdNW
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) October 19, 2018
Updated
The California congressman Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said Saudi Arabia’s claim that Khashoggi was “killed while brawling with a team of more than a dozen dispatched from Saudi Arabia is not credible”.
Schiff says that if Khashoggi was fighting inside the consulate, he was “fighting for his life with people sent to capture or kill him”.
If Trump’s Republican administration won’t hold Saudi Arabia accountable for Khashoggi’s death, Congress will, he added, according to Reuters.
Jim Sciutto, chief national security correspondent for CNN is pouring cold water on Riyadh’s explanation of Jamal Khashoggi’s death, that the journalist got into a fight at the embassy and died as a result of it saying: “Having met Khashoggi, the idea of the 59-year-old bespectacled intellectual engaging in a physical fight with several intelligence agents is beyond the imagination.”
Having met Kashoggi, the idea of the 59-year-old bespectacled intellectual engaging in a physical fight with several intelligence agents is beyond the imagination. https://t.co/tqh4oaPLyl
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) October 19, 2018
Donald Trump has been tweeting, but not about this srriking development, instead tweeting a picture of someone wearing a Republican campaign shirt.
This is what it is all about for the Republican Party! #JobsNotMobs pic.twitter.com/8OabccPec5
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2018
The president has been very circumspect about condemning the Saudis over Khashoggi’s disappearance, telling 60 Minutes in an interview that he would not like to impose sanctions on the Saudis over the incident for the damage it would do to American businesses, though he has also said that if the Saudis are found to be involved, the punishment would be “severe”. He has also requested the audio recording of Khashoggi’s murder, which the Turkish authorities say they have, “if it exists”.
Updated
The White House said on Friday in a statement it had seen the announcement of Saudi Arabia’s probe into the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and would continue to press for “justice that is timely, transparent, and in accordance with all due process.”
The Saudi regime also announced a purge of senior officials including Saud al-Qahtani, an influential advisor to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and General Ahmed al-Assiri, a senior intelligence official. Both men have been fired. Eighteen Saudi nationals were said to have been arrested.
The news, which cited preliminary findings from an official investigation, was announced on state television on Friday. The purge appeared to be aimed at insulating the crown prince and protecting his position. It was reported that he would remain overall head of intelligence.
As our Middle East correspondent Martin Chulov writes, the purge, and particularly the sacking of Assiri, one of the embattled crown prince’s most trusted security officials, seems to be in response to US pressure. Here’s Martin’s analysis:
Officials in Washington have suggested for the past three days that a senior figure in Riyadh was central to the apparent plot to lure Khashoggi into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he was believed to have been tortured and killed by state security officials.
However, their insistence had been met with blanket rejections by Bin Salman, who denied any Saudi link to Khashoggi’s disappearance.
It was only late on Friday evening BST that Saudi state television said that Khashoggi was dead. The news, which cited preliminary findings from an official investigation, said a fight broke out between Khashoggi and people who met him in the consulate, leading to the death of the reporter.
While the US administration has said it would not cut loose a leader in whom much of Donald Trump’s foreign policy is invested, mounting pressure at home and relentless international outrage surrounding Khashoggi’s apparent murder prompted Washington to take an unusually robust stance.
Officials had been increasingly irritated at the crown prince’s intransigence – a view that led them to name Assiri as a man who could take the blame. The general has no family connections to the Saudi royal establishment, but had been an enthusiastic and polished advocate of the kingdom’s involvement in Yemen, a role that caught the 33-year-old crown prince’s eye.
Republican senator Lindsay Graham has expressed his scepticism about the explanation from Saudi authorities of Jamal Khashoggi’s death.
“To say that I am sceptical of the new Saudi narrative about Mr Khashoggi is an understatement,” said Graham said in a series of tweets.
“First we were told Mr Khashoggi supposedly left the consulate and there was blanket denial of any Saudi involvement. Now, a fight breaks out and he’s killed in the consulate, all without knowledge of Crown Prince. It’s hard to find this latest “explanation” as credible.”
First we were told Mr. Khashoggi supposedly left the consulate and there was blanket denial of any Saudi involvement. Now, a fight breaks out and he’s killed in the consulate, all without knowledge of Crown Prince.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) October 19, 2018
Samantha Power, former US ambassador to the United Nations, has also condemned the announcement saying Riyadh’s announcement “will convince nobody”.
They don’t get it. Shifting from bald-face lies (“#Khashoggi left consulate”) to faux condemnation (of a “rogue operation”) to claiming the fox will credibly investigate what he did to the hen...will convince nobody. https://t.co/M4aWC1X3FY
— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower) October 19, 2018
Saudi Arabia has admitted journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared after visiting the country’s consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, is dead.
Riyadh has claimed that the journalist, whose disappearance has attracted global attention, was killed in a “fight” with Saudi officials, after weeks of speculation and steady leaks from Turkish authorities suggesting Khashoggi was assassinated by a Saudi hit squad after arriving at the embassy and dismembered.
Riyadh’s explanation of the journalist’s death is likely to be met with derision, we will be following that reaction as it happens in this liveblog. As always, if you have a question or a tip for the blog, please get in touch via email kate.lyons@theguardian.com or on Twitter @mskatelyons
