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Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi policy, was killed in the
country's Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2, after a struggle, by a
lethal injection dose and his body was dismembered and taken out
of the building, deputy public prosecutor and spokesman Shaalan
al-Shaalan told reporters.
He said the Washington Post columnist was murdered after
"negotiations" for his return to the kingdom failed and that the
person who ordered the killing was the head of the negotiating
team that was sent to repatriate Khashoggi.
The whereabouts of Khashoggi's body remain unknown, he said.
Riyadh had offered numerous contradictory explanations for
Khashoggi's disappearance before saying he was killed in a rogue
operation, in a case that has sparked a global outcry, opened
the kingdom to possible sanctions and tarnished the image of
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Turkish officials have accused Prince Mohammed of ordering the
murder while President Erdogan said the killing was ordered at
the "highest levels" of the Saudi government. U.S. President
Donald Trump has suggested ultimate responsibility lies with the
prince as de facto ruler.
"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.
He said 11 out of 21 suspects have been indicted and that their
cases will be referred to court, while the investigation with
the remaining suspects will continue in order to determine their
role in the crime.
A travel ban has been imposed on a top aide to the crown prince,
Saud al-Qahtani, 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.
Turkey says it has a recording related to the killing which it
has shared with Western allies. President Tayyip Erdogan said
the recordings are "appalling" and shocked a Saudi intelligence
officer who listened to them, Turkish media reported on Tuesday.
(Additional reporting by Maha El Dahan and Asma Al Sharif in
Dubai; Writing by Tuqa Khalid and Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by
Gareth Jones, William Maclean)
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