Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir
Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Thursday the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in its Istanbul consulate is now a legal case and should not be politicised, after the public prosecutor said it would seek the death penalty for five suspects.
"The politicisation of the issue contributes to a fissure in the Islamic world while the kingdom seeks the unity of the Islamic world," Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in Riyadh.
"We consider Khashoggi’s murder a crime and very big mistake," he said.
An adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday that comments from Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor were aimed at covering up the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, adding the Saudi probe was unlikely to find the perpetrators.Yasin Aktay, who advises Erdoğan in his AK Party, made the comments after Saudi's public prosecutor said the journalist was killed after "negotiations" to convince him to return to the kingdom failed. Turkish officials have said they believe the killing was premeditated."They expect us to believe the killers carried this out on their own. This isn't very credible. Everything is clear as day, but there is an effort to cover it up a bit," Aktay said.Erdoğan has said the killing was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.Turkey not satisfied by Saudi prosecutor comments on Khashoggi: FMEarlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also slammed the comments from Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor."I don't find some comments satisfying. They say this person was killed because he resisted, whereas this murder was premeditated," Çavuşoğlu said."Where is the body of the murdered Khashoggi? Where was it thrown, where was it burned?" he added. "Again, they say he was dismembered... but this isn't a spontaneous thing. The necessary equipment and people were previously brought in to kill and later dismember him."Çavuşoğlu also reiterated Turkey's call for Riyadh to disclose the location of Khashoggi's remains."Where is the body of the murdered Khashoggi? Where was it thrown, where was it burned?" Çavuşoğlu said. He did not say whether Turkey had evidence that pointed to the body having been burned. Turkey has previously called for an investigation into reports the body was dissolved in acid.Khashoggi’s body dismembered inside Istanbul consulate: Saudi prosecutorIsrael’s Gaza war part of bin Salman plot to distract world from Khashoggi killingPrince Salman’s right hand men the royal family fears
Erdoğan adviser says Saudi Arabia trying to cover up Khashoggi murder
Jubeir added that there were still unanswered questions in need of answers, but Ankara had refused three requests from Riyadh to provide proof of their accounts of the killing.
Jubeir said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had "absolutely nothing to do" with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, after the public prosecutor said he would seek the death penalty for five suspects.
Asked about possible international sanctions in response to the case, Adel al-Jubeir told reporters there was a difference between sanctioning individuals and holding the Saudi government responsible.
Turkey is not satisfied with remarks from Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Ankara's foreign minister said on Thursday, adding the journalist was targeted in a premeditated killing.Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and a Washington Post columnist, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, sparking global outrage against the kingdom and its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Riyadh had offered numerous contradictory explanations for his disappearance, before saying Khashoggi was killed after "negotiations" to convince him to return to the kingdom failed. On Thursday, the public prosecutor's office said he was killed after a struggle by a lethal injection and his body dismembered and taken out of the building."I don't find some comments satisfying. They say this person was killed because he resisted, whereas this murder was premeditated," Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said."Where is the body of the murdered Khashoggi? Where was it thrown, where was it burned?" he added.Khashoggi’s body dismembered inside Istanbul consulate: Saudi prosecutor"Again, they say he was dismembered... but this isn't a spontaneous thing. The necessary equipment and people were previously brought in to kill and later dismember him."President Tayyip Erdoğan has said the killing was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.Çavuşoğlu also reiterated Turkey's call for Riyadh to disclose the location of Khashoggi's remains."Where is the body of the murdered Khashoggi? Where was it thrown, where was it burned?" Çavuşoğlu said. He did not say whether Turkey had evidence that pointed to the body having been burned. Turkey has previously called for an investigation into reports the body was dissolved in acid.Çavuşoğlu also repeated Erdoğan's call that the suspects in the case should be tried in Turkey, not Saudi Arabia.Israel’s Gaza war part of bin Salman plot to distract world from Khashoggi killingPrince Salman’s right hand men the royal family fears
Turkey not satisfied by Saudi prosecutor comments on Khashoggi: FM