Jamal Khashoggi's killing was a tremendous mistake: Saudi Arabia

After accepting that US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi died inside its consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Saudi Arabia has now said that his killing was "a tremendous mistake" and a rogue operation.

کد خبر: ۸۴۴۹۴۳

تاریخ: ۳۰ مهر ۱۳۹۷ - ۰۸:۴۷

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said this in an interview with Fox News.

"The individuals who did this, did this outside the scope of their authority. There obviously was a tremendous mistake made, and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover it up. That is unacceptable in any government," al-Jubeir said on Sunday.

Although he asserted that Saudi Arabia was determined to take action to investigate Khashoggi's killing and hold those responsible accountable, al-Jubeir claimed that the government doesn't know how the journalist was killed or where his body is.

"He was killed in the consulate. We don't know in terms of details how. We don't know where the body is," Jubeir said.

"We are determined to uncover every stone. We are determined to find out all the facts. And we are determined to punish those who are responsible for this murder," he added.

Jubeir was the first senior Saudi official to speak on the record on the matter after Saudi Arabia admitted on Saturday that Khashoggi was dead.

The foreign minister reiterated that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was unaware of this operation and the people involved in the murder did not have ties with bin Salman.

"Even the senior leadership over intelligence service was not aware of this," al-Jubeir said.

At last 18 people have been detained and several officials have been fired in relation to Khashoggi's death.

The Saudis have laid out different versions of the circumstances that led to the death of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi Crown Prince, who was not seen after entering the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 2. The journalist is survived by relatives still living in Saudi Arabia and three children who hold US citizenship.

Saudi Arabia's Attorney General confirmed that preliminary investigations indicated that the journalist died inside the Saudi consulate after a fight within the premises.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he will make statements about the murdered journalist during his party's parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday.

Speaking at an event in Istanbul on Sunday, Erdogan stated that Turkey seeks justice and will reveal the "naked truth", reported Xinhua news agency.

"Why did 15 people come here (from Saudi Arabia) and why were 18 people arrested? I'm going to tell you in a very different way on Tuesday. We're going to go into detail," he said.

Turkey earlier said 15 Saudis who travelled to Istanbul were involved in Khashoggi's disappearance.