Saudi prosecution: 11 people charged in Khashoggi murder case

Dubai: The Saudi Arabia Public Prosecutor Al Mojeb issued a statement to the press on Thurday, charging 11 people in the Khashoggi murder case.

The public prosecutor is still seeking answers to many questions regarding the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said Adel Al Jubeir, Saudi Foreign Minister.

Investigations in the Khashoggi case are going ahead as more facts are uncovered, he said.

We refuse to internationalise the Khashoggi case and we have an effective judiciary system, Al Jubeir added.

US sanctions 17 officials

The US Treasury Department on Thursday sanctioned 17 Saudi Arabian officials amid controversy over the kingdom's role in the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

The department didn't immediately release the reason for the sanctions, though US lawmakers in recent weeks have increased their demands for punitive measures for the killing.

The sanctioned individuals include Saud Al Qahtani, a senior Saudi government official, according to a statement posted on Treasury's website that did not offer further explanation why the individuals were sanctioned. A Treasury spokesman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Lethal injection

Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, after a struggle, by a dose of lethal injection and his body was dismembered and taken out of the building, deputy public prosecutor and spokesman Shaalan Al Shaalan told reporters in a press conference on Thursday.

France says indictments 'a step in right direction'

France on Thursday welcomed Saudi Arabia's indictment of several suspects over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, calling it a "step in the right direction" in an investigation being watched by the world.

In a statement, the French foreign ministry reiterated President Emmanuel Macron's call for full light to be shed on Khashoggi's October 2 death at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul and said: "We will continue to study developments in the case closely."

A spokesman for the public prosecutor's office started his conference saying “[about] the murder of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi, based on the information provided through the joint Saudi-Turkish investigation team; there are 21 suspects in custody, 11 of whom have been indicted."

The public prosecutor asked for capital punishment for five of the accused who were directly responsible for planning and executing the murder.

"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," Shaalan said, without naming the five.

A travel ban has been imposed on Saud Al Qahtani, the consultant at the Royal Court, while investigations continue over his role, Shaalan said.

Adding Qahtani had met the team ordered to repatriate Kashoggi ahead of their journey to Istanbul to brief them on the journalist's activities. Qahtani has already been fired from the royal court.

He said in his statement, "The plans to retreive Khashoggi were in place on September 29, three days before his murder. A team was sent by the former deputy chief of intelligence [Ahmad Asiri] to retreive Khashoggi and persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia."

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

"The commander of the mission decided to kill Khashoggi, and the body of the victim was dissected after the murder and removed from the consulate by five of the team members. One of them then gave the remains to a local handler", the prosecutor explained

According to Al Shaalan, during initial investigations, the accused gave a false report to the head of intelligence and denied killing Khashoggi.

"The team was also found to have disabled surveillance cameras at the consulate", he said.

Speaking about evidence in the case, he added, "The Saudi government has asked Turkish authorities for all evidence in their posession including audio recordings, witness statements and the victim's [Khashoggi's] phones. We are waiting for a response."

Clarifyng about the yet unknown local handler who disposed of the remains, the prosecutor said, "We have in our possession a sketch of the handler which we will share with the Turkish authorities."

The spokesman denied Crown Prince Mohammad had any knowledge of the killing inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, in response to a journalist's question.

The spokesman said the deputy chief of Saudi intelligence, General Ahmed Al Assiri, had given an order to force Khashoggi home.

He reiterated that the original mission of the team was to persuade Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia as he was on a self-imposed exile.