Slain Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi
British foreign made clear to Saudi Arabian officials that those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder must be held accountable, Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday.
May also reiterated the U.K.’s calls for a transparent investigation into the killing.
“As we seek to protect and advance our common security, it is vital that we and our partners in the international community demonstrate our common adherence to the rule of law,” May said in an address to the annual Lord Mayor’s Banquet. “We have seen this most recently in the terrible murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
“And as the foreign secretary made clear again in his visit to Riyadh today, there must be a transparent and credible investigation and those responsible must be held to account.”
A telephone call between an alleged killer of Jamal Khashoggi and his superior may implicate Saudi crown prince in the murder of the the journalist, the New York Times reported Monday."A member of the kill team instructed a superior over the phone to 'tell your boss,' believed to be Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the operatives had carried out their mission," said the newspaper.It quoted three people familiar with a recording of Khashoggi’s murder collected by Turkish intelligence, which "is seen by intelligence officials as some of the strongest evidence" linking bin Salman to Khashoggi’s killing."While the prince was not mentioned by name, American intelligence officials believe 'your boss' was a reference to Prince Mohammed," it said.Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, one of 15 Saudis in the hit squad sent to Istanbul to confront Khashoggi, made the telephone call and spoke in Arabic, according to the report.The newspaper said Turkish intelligence told American officials it believes Mutreb was speaking to one of the prince’s aides.Germany receives recordings on Khashoggi from TurkeyTrudeau: Canada has heard Turkish recordings on Khashoggi's killing"While translations of the Arabic may differ, those briefed on the call said Mr. Mutreb also said to the aide words to the effect of 'the deed was done'," said the Times.The report also quoted Turkish officials as saying the audio does not "conclusively implicate Prince Mohammed.""American intelligence and other government officials have cautioned that however compelling the recording may be, it is still not irrefutable evidence of his involvement in the death of Mr. Khashoggi," it said.Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was killed Oct. 2 inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.After weeks of denying involvement, the kingdom admitted Khashoggi had been killed at the consulate but claimed the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of a plot to murder him.So far, 18 people, including security officers, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder.
Tell your boss: Saudi kill team recordings connect Prince Salman to Khashoggi murder
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Monday visited Saudi Arabia and met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.
It is “unacceptable” the full circumstances behind Jamal Khashoggi's murder still remain unclear, Hunt said Sunday prior to his visit to Riyadh.
He urged Saudi officials to fully cooperate with Turkey to enlighten what happened to Khashoggi.
Hunt is the first U.K. minister to have visited Saudi Arabia since the murder of the Saudi journalist last month, a Foreign Office statement said.
“He will use his meetings to make clear the importance of Saudi Arabia cooperating with Turkey to conduct a full and credible investigation into Mr. Khashoggi’s death,” it said.