Turkish President Erdogan demands Saudi Arabia commence trial of 18 suspects in Turkish courts
Mohammed bin Salman and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Pic/AFP
Saudi officials murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in their Istanbul consulate after plotting his death for days, Turkey's president said Tuesday, contradicting Saudi Arabia's explanation that the writer was accidentally killed. He demanded that the kingdom reveal the identities of all involved, regardless of rank.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said he wants Saudi Arabia to allow 18 suspects that it detained for the Saudi's killing to be tried in Turkish courts, setting up further complications with the Saudi government, which has said it will punish those involved.
"To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community," Erdogan said in a speech to ruling party lawmakers in parliament. "Saudi Arabia has taken an important step by admitting to the murder. As of now, we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible - from the highest ranked to the lowest - and to bring them to justice," the Turkish president said.
Erdogan's speech was previously pitched as revealing the "naked truth" about Khashoggi's slaying. Instead it served merely to put a named source to information already circulated by anonymous officials and the Turkish press.
Death is still a 'Plot gone awry' for POTUS
US President Donald Trump has said he believes Khashoggi's death was the result of a "plot gone awry." Trump has said he was "not satisfied" with Riyadh's response over Khashoggi's death.He also said a group of US officials are in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, trying to gather information on this issue. He also said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told him that neither he nor the king were involved in this.
Saudi to hold everyone accountable for murder
Saudi Arabia's cabinet on Tuesday said it would hold accountable all those behind the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi "no matter who they may be". "Measures have been taken by the kingdom to uncover the truth and hold accountable all those whose incompetence or immediate responsibility" was behind the killing "no matter who they may be," read a cabinet statement published by the state-run SPA news agency.
'Such a killing must never happen again'
The killing of a critic like Jamal Khashoggi is something that must "never happen again", Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Tuesday, as he pledged a full investigation into the journalist's death. Saudi Arabia's leadership will "see to it that the investigation is thorough and complete and that the truth is revealed and those responsible will be held to account", said al-Jubeir, adding, "And that mechanism and procedures are put in place to ensure that something like this can never happen again."
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