Saudi Arabia’s most senior prosecutor is to hold talks with Turkish investigators looking into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi as the crisis caused by the journalist’s death continues to engulf the kingdom.
Saud al-Mojeb, the country’s attorney general, will land in Istanbul where it is thought he will be asked to hand over the 18 Saudi suspects currently being held in his homeland in connection with the killing.
Mr Khashoggi – a Washington Post columnist who was critical of the current Saudi leadership – was murdered while visiting the country’s embassy in Istanbulon 2 October. He was living in self-imposed exile in the US at the time.
Leaked intelligence reports suggest he was tortured – including having his fingers cut off – before he was killed.
Under mounting international pressure, the kingdom again changed its narrative about Mr Khashoggi's killing, acknowledging in recent days that it was "premeditated," citing information from Turkey as part of a joint investigation.
Turkey has called for a full disclosure about the killing, which was carried out by Saudi agents— some of whom appear to work directly under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Meanwhile, US defence Secretary Jim Mattis he urged that a full and complete investigation be conducted into the killing with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir during an international conference in the middle eastern kingdom.
Mr Mattis told reporters travelling with him that Mr Jubeir "had no reservations at all" about the need for transparency.
Washington has already announced moves against 21 Saudis to either revoke their visas or make them ineligible for US visas after the Khashoggi killing.
Asked whether his country would limit its support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Mr Mattis said: "We'll continue to support the defence of the kingdom."
Mr Jubeir had earlier called the global outcry "hysterical". He also seemed to suggest that Saudi would not extradite the 18 suspects, while urging the public to wait for the results of the investigation before ascribing blame.
After the meeting with Mr Mattis, he said: “We discussed it. You know the same thing we talked about, the need for transparency, full and complete investigation.”
