Saudis to seek death penalty in Khashoggi case

Saudi Arabia’s top prosecutor said Thursday he will pursue death sentences for five suspects charged with killing journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb said 21 people are now in custody in connection to the murder, with 11 already indicted and awaiting trial. Khashoggi was a Saudi national who had U.S. residency and wrote columns for The Washington Post. Saudi deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri was one of the high-level officials incriminated in the case and was fired shortly after the killing on Oct. 2. The announcement is the latest attempt to deflect accusations against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after Turkish officials said Khashoggi’s killing came from the highest levels of Saudi government. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Thursday insisted the crown prince had “absolutely” nothing to do with the incident.

A 15-member team from Saudi Arabia that included intelligence agents, logistics personnel, and negotiators launched its operation on Sept. 29, three days before Khashoggi was drugged, killed, and dismembered inside the consulate, Saudi Deputy Attorney General Sheikh Shalan al-Shalan said at a Thursday news conference. He said the leader of the team “decided to kill him in the moment” when he realized he could not force Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country did not find some of the latest explanations satisfactory and called for Saudi Arabia to identify who ordered the killing.