Jamal Khashoggi latest: Five facing death penalty over killing of Saudi journalist

A demonstrator holds a poster of Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul
AFP/Getty Images
Jacob Jarvis15 November 2018

Saudi Arabia said 11 suspects have been indicted in the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with five facing the death penalty.

Saudi prosecutors are requesting the punishment after Mr Khashoggi was slain when he attended the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul on October 2.

Another ten people are in custody linked to the killing, making the total number detained 21, though they have not been indicted or referred to trial.

"The Public Prosecutor has requested the death penalty for 5 individuals who are charged with ordering and committing the crime and for the appropriate sentences for the other indicted individuals," Saudi Arabia's deputy public prosecutor and spokesman Shaalan al-Shaalan said.

However, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his government was not satisfied with this announcement, .

He repeated Turkey's demand members of what it claims to be a 15-man team involved in Mr Khashoggi's killing should be tried in Turkey.

Jamal Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2
PA

Mr Khashoggi had visited the consulate to pick up documents for his upcoming wedding with fiancée Hatice Cengiz.

She attended the building with him and waited outside for hours, though he was never to return.

CCTV shows Jamal Khashoggi enter consulate

1/6

CCTV showed Mr Khashoggi entering the building, leaving Ms Cengiz at the gate leading up to it.

Mr Khashoggi wrote for the Washington Post and was a vocal critic of the Saudi government.

Hatice Cengiz waited outside the consulate for Mr Khashoggi, though he never returned
AP

Mystery has surrounded the events which led to his death, though Saudi Arabia accepted he died in the building though statements as to what happened have been inconsistent.

Now, Mr al-Shaalan has said the writer died after a struggle, in which he was given a lethal injection dose, before his body was dismembered and taken out of the building,

There have been reports that his body was dissolved afterwards, and the whereabouts of his remains is still unknown, though this has not been confirmed.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) meeting with Salah bin Jamal Khashoggi (L), son of late Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi
EPA

Continuing, Mr al-Shaalan said that Mr Khashoggi was murdered after "negotiations" for his return to the kingdom failed.

He claimed the person who ordered the killing was the head of the negotiating team that was sent to repatriate Mr Khashoggi.

Turkish officials have accused Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering the murder while President Erdogan said the killing was ordered at the "highest levels" of the Saudi government.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made grave accusations in regards to Jamal Khashoggi's death
AP

In addition to this, President Donald Trump has suggested ultimate responsibility lies with the prince.

However, Saudi Arabia has denied involvement of the royal family in connection to the death.

A travel ban has been imposed on a top aide to the crown prince, Saud al-Qahtani, while investigations continue over his role.

He has already been fired from the royal court.

Turkey says it has a recording related to the killing, which President Erdogan called "appalling".

They also shocked a Saudi intelligence officer who listened to them, Turkish media reported.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in