Riyadh: Saudi prosecutors said Thursday that Turkish evidence showed the slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was premeditated. A statement from the Saudi Press Agency said: “Further to the statement issued on the results of the preliminary investigation conducted by the Public Prosecution in the case of the citizen Jamal Khashoggi - may God have mercy on him - the Public Prosecution received information from the Turkish side through the Saudi-Turkish joint team that suggests the suspects in that incident had committed their act with a premeditated intention.”

Also Thursday, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman attended the first meeting of a committee aiming to restructure the kingdom’s intelligence services after the killing of Khashoggi, the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.

Meanwhile, former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki Al Faisal said the “unfair” media attacks on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman have made him more popular among Saudis. “People who think there’s going to be any change in the succession are wrong,” Prince Turki said in an interview with Washington Post, dismissing speculations Saudi Arabia would replace its crown prince.

This came as Turkish authorities briefed visiting CIA chief Gina Haspel on the investigation into the killing and the evidence collected so far, a Turkish security official said. The official could not confirm whether Haspel had listened to an alleged audio recording of the killing. 

Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggi's death. One of those fired includes Saud Al Qahtani, a top aide who ran social media for Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Al Qahtani ran Khashoggi's killing by giving orders over Skype.

Khashoggi was killed on October 2 at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.

Saudi crown prince: ‘justice will prevail’

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince on Wednesday denounced the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a “heinous crime”, and insisted that “justice will prevail”.

Attending an investment conference in Riyadh, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman said the case of Khashoggi was “painful”.

“Those behind this crime will be held accountable... in the end justice will prevail,” Prince Mohammad said.

Saudi officials have announced that Khashoggi died during a fist fight at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, and authorities in Riyadh have arrested 18 people in connection with the murder.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey to work together

Appearing on a discussion panel at the conference, Prince Mohammad said Saudi Arabia and Turkey would work together “to reach results”. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Prince Mohammad and the two discussed the steps needed to shed light on the case, a presidential source said.

In their first telephone conversation since the killing, the two discussed “the issue of joint efforts and the steps that need to be taken in order to shed light on the Jamal Khashoggi murder in all its aspects,” the source added.

Meanwhile, the United States and the United Kingdom have said they have taken steps to revoke visas of the suspects in Khashoggi’s murder.

Britain will prevent all suspects in the death of Khashoggi from entering the country, Prime Minister Theresa May said, adding she would speak to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman later on Wednesday.