Turkish presidential communications director says Saudi Arabia’s consul-general in Istanbul also accomplice to killing of Jamal Khashoggi
Saudi Arabia's refusal to extradite suspects in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi is very disappointing and the world should seek justice for his case under international law, the director of communications at the Turkish presidency told Reuters on Monday.
Since Turkey had seen little evidence that Saudi prosecutors will shed light on the Oct. 2 killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, "it will be in the best interest of the international community to seek justice for the late Saudi journalist under international law", Fahrettin Altun said.
Saudi Arabia’s consul-general in Istanbul was also an accomplice in the killing, he added.
Turkish officials said last week that the Istanbul prosecutor's office had concluded there was "strong suspicion" that Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to Prince Mohammed, and General Ahmed al-Asiri, who served as deputy head of foreign intelligence, were among the planners of Khashoggi's killing.
Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge of the murder. After offering numerous contradictory explanations, Riyadh later said Khashoggi had been killed and his body dismembered when negotiations to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia failed.
The kingdom has come under scrutiny as details of his killing came to light. Making some of their strongest accusations so far, both U.S. Republicans and Democrats said last week they want to pass legislation to send a message to Saudi Arabia that the United States condemns the death of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist.
A Turkish official said that by extraditing all suspects to Turkey, the Saudi authorities can address the international community's concerns.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Sunday ruled out their extradition. "We don't extradite our citizens," he said at a Gulf Arab summit in Riyadh.
Last month, Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor's office said is seeking the death penalty for five individuals, and that 11 of 21 suspects have been indicted and will be referred to court in Saudi Arabia.
