Global outcry over Khashoggi ‘hysterical’, Saudi foreign minister says

Manama: Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat said on Saturday that the global outcry and media focus on the killing of a Saudi journalist earlier this month has become “hysterical” as he urged the public to wait for the results of an investigation before ascribing blame.

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was killed during a fist fight at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Saudi Arabia has arrested 18 persons in connection with the killing.

“This issue has become fairly hysterical,” Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said. “I think people have assigned blame on Saudi Arabia with such certainty before the investigation is complete.”

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has condemned the killing as “heinous” and “painful”, and has vowed that justice will prevail.

Al Jubeir was speaking in response to questions from Western journalists at an annual conference of international officials, including US Defence Secretary James Mattis, in Bahrain.

“We have made clear that we are going to have a full and transparent investigation, the results of which will be released. We have made it very clear that those responsible will be held responsible,” he said.

“We’re trying to uncover what happened. We know that a mistake was committed. We know that people exceeded their authority and we know that we’re investigating them,” he said.

But he cautioned that “investigations take time.”

“Unfortunately, there has been this hysteria in the media about Saudi Arabia’s guilt before the investigation is completed,” he said.

The suspects will not be extradited to Turkey, the Saudi foreign minister said.

“The individuals are Saudi nationals, they are detained in Saudi Arabia, the investigation is in Saudi Arabia,” Al Jubeir said at the conference. “They will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia.”

Al Jubeir said that he was not privy to the details of the investigation.

Al Jubeir said six Saudi officials in total were dismissed over the killing. King Salman has assigned his son, the crown prince, to oversee the restructuring of the kingdom’s intelligence bodies in the aftermath of the killing.

Saudi Arabia had said that the killing was “premeditated,” citing evidence from Turkish officials investigating what happened.

Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor will arrive in Turkey on Sunday as part of the investigation and will meet with Turkish counterparts, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

— Agencies