Nov. 15 (UPI) — Five of nearly a dozen suspects charged in the slaying of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi face the death penalty, Saudi prosecutors announced Thursday.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported 21 suspects have been identified and 11 have been indicted for Khashoggi’s Oct. 2 death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Saudi Arabia Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb told reporters Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had not been implicated in the crime, Al Jazeera reported Thursday.
Mojeb said five men ordered the drugging and dismemberment of Khashoggi after “talks with him failed” inside the Istanbul consulate.
The Saudi statement said its investigation was based on information from a Saudi-Turkish Joint team.
Saudi authorities have said Khashoggi, a regular critic of the Saudi government and contributor for The Washington Post, was targeted when he visited the consulate for a document he needed for his planned wedding.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his government has an audio recording that contains sounds from Khashoggi’s death. Those recordings have been heard by officials in the United States, Canada and other countries. Khashoggi’s remains have not been recovered.
Saudi officials initially said Khashoggi left the consulate, but later said he was killed by rogue operatives.
Riyadh has made a formal request for the Turkish government to hand over audio recordings related to the case and “sign a special cooperation mechanism” related to the investigation. They said they have not yet received a reply.
