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Foreign ministers of the G7 countries and the EU condemned on Tuesday “in the strongest possible terms the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed took place in its consulate in Istanbul".
“The confirmation of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi’s death is a first step toward full transparency and accountability,” the joint statement from the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S., and the high representative of the European Union said.
“However, the explanations offered leave many questions unanswered,” it added.
The statement followed remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan describing Khashoggi's murder as "premeditated".
Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia last week claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.
On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
The EU and G7 countries reiterated the “expectation for a thorough, credible, transparent, and prompt investigation by Saudi Arabia, in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities, and a full and rigorous accounting of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Khashoggi’s death".
“Those responsible for the killing must be held to account,” the statement added.
It added that Saudi Arabia “must put in place measures to ensure something like this can never happen again.”
Offering condolences to Khashoggi's family, the statement added: “The circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death reaffirms the need to protect journalists and freedom of expression around the world.”
The UN said Tuesday it would investigate the case of killed Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi if Turkey requests.“We will wait to see whether we get a formal request from Turkey," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. "If we get something like that we will evaluate it and make a decision based on the request we received.”For any UN probe to be successful the international body would need the cooperation of all relevant parties, Haq added.'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Khashoggi, who wrote for the Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for more than two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said he was killed during a fight inside the diplomatic facility.But Khashoggi's body has not been recovered, and Riyadh has yet to explain its shifting narrative on what transpired.Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotStephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said shortly after Saudi Arabia's announcement that the UN chief "is deeply troubled by the confirmation of the death of Jamal Khashoggi."Guterres "stresses the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death and full accountability for those responsible," Guterres said.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated."Erdoğan said all information and evidence that has been uncovered showed Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal murder.Saudi teams explored Istanbul's Belgrad Forest and the northwestern province of Yalova before murdering Khashoggi, Erdoğan said.US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death
UN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requests
After the Oct. 2 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, all eyes turned to his body double who appeared in surveillance cameras. Mustafa Al-Madani, 57, who is of similar age and height, was captured on surveillance cameras in Istanbul on the day Khashoggi was murdered.He is seen dressed in the journalist’s clothes, eyeglasses, and his watch to make it look like as if he had left the consulate building.Al-Madani is believed to be part of the 15-member Saudi hit squad, who was allegedly sent to Istanbul to kill the journalist.US complicity in Saudi abuses starker than beforeAccording to some Arab media reports, al-Madani is a manager at a state-run engineering corporation in Saudi Arabia. His social media account also lists him as an engineer.Al-Madani is also seen in some photos on social media while welcoming some individuals in a palace-like place. This shows that al-Madani may be a figure close to Riyadh administration and King Salman bin Abdulaziz. 'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Al-Madani is ‘security officer’According to a Saudi official, who was cited by Reuters on Sunday, al-Madani is part of the hit squad sent to Istanbul comprising officials from the Saudi intelligence and security forces.This report also hints that he is probably a security officer. Meanwhile, a surveillance footage released by CNN shows al-Madani leaving the Saudi consulate by the back door.According to a CNN report, Madani had entered the consulate building by the front door four hours earlier together with Saudi's forensic medicine chief Salah al-Tubaiqi.Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotThe video obtained by CNN also shows al-Madani without a beard and wearing a blue and white shirt and dark blue trousers. He is also seen in Khashoggi's clothing near the city's Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet district hours after the journalist was seen entering the consulate building on Oct. 2.Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi deathAfter denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for two weeks, Saudi Arabia said he was killed during a "brawl" inside the consulate.His body has not been recovered, nor has Saudi Arabia explained its shifting narrative on what transpired.On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Khashoggi's murder was premeditated, adding that his country had strong evidence showing that it was planned.Video: CCTV footage purports to show man resembling Khashoggi leaving consulate
Who is al-Madani, Khashoggi’s body double?
The European Union’s reaction to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi will depend on the next steps that will be taken by the Saudi authorities, the EU foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.Speaking at the EU Parliament, Federica Mogherini said the EU has "asked Saudi Arabia to shed light on the events of Oct. 2 through a full, credible, transparent and prompt investigation"."We have also asked Saudi Arabia for full collaboration with the Turkish authorities."We hope that everyone will work towards the goal of establishing the facts. This is the starting point," Mogherini said, adding that the investigation must be driven by the search for truth and not by geopolitics.Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotMogherini said the confirmation of Khashoggi's death was a first step towards the truth and towards accountability."But the explanations offered so far by the Saudi authorities leave many doubts and many questions unanswered.Recalling the Foreign Affairs Council last week, Mogherini said all 28 Foreign Ministers of the EU member states agreed to demand a credible and transparent investigation."We are working on further steps and statements to be taken together," she added.Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia last week claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ripped Saudi Arabia's effort to conceal the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi."They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the coverup was one of the worst in the history of coverups," Trump told reporters at the White House."Whoever thought of that idea I think is in big trouble, and they should be in big trouble."Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. He was never seen exiting the diplomatic facility.After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for more than two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said he was killed during a brawl inside the diplomatic facility.But Khashoggi's body has not been recovered, and Riyadh has yet to explain its shifting narrative on what transpired.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated".Video: Trump says Saudis staged 'worst cover-up ever' on KhashoggiErdoğan said all information and evidence that has been uncovered showed Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal murder.Saudi teams explored Istanbul's Belgrad Forest and the northwestern province of Yalova before murdering Khashoggi, Erdoğan said.Trump said Erdoğan was "pretty rough on Saudi Arabia" during his comments, noting that the U.S. has intelligence officials in both Saudi Arabia and Turkey working on the Khashoggi case.CIA Director Gina Haspel is among them as she works to comb through the facts in Turkey."They are heading back. I will know, I think, everything in a very short period of time," Trump said. "It's a bad situation. But certainly President Erdoğan was not complimentary about what happened. That was a terrible thing that happened."US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi deathErdoğan speaks on phone wıth Khashoggi's family, sends condolencesErdoğan: Evidence shows Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered
Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plot