Saudi state media: Officials have detained 18 suspects, dismissed senior officials

World Today

First the fatality and now the forensics. The death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been confirmed by Saudi officials but questions are now raised about just how he died and the whereabouts of his body.

CGTN’s Michal Bardavid has the latest.

Follow Michal Bardavid on Twitter @michal_bardavid


World leaders call for more information about Khashoggi’s death

On Saturday Saudi Arabia said Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a fist fight at its consulate in Istanbul. Condemnation of the killing two weeks after Khashoggi disappeared is being led by United Nations Secretary-GeneralAntonio Guterres.

CGTN’s John Terrett reports.

A statement from his spokesperson says the Secretary General is deeply troubled by Khashoggi’s death.

“The Secretary-General stresses the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death and full accountability for those responsible”

In Europe German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Khashoggi’s death is an attack on press freedom.

“Those freedoms cannot be taken for granted all over the world,” Merkel said. “Take a look around. Talking about Saudi Arabia. Those terrible events. Which still haven’t been cleared up yet. And where we of course demand an explanation”

In the United States, President Donald Trump is careful not to upset the Saudi’s who have multi-billion dollar arms deals in the offing with American aerospace and defense companies.

“I think it’s a good first step, it’s a big step,” Trump said. “It’s a lot of people. A lot of people involved and I think it’s a great first step. We have a tremendous order, probably the people around this table have the vast percentage of the $110 billion order from Saudi. And, Saudi Arabia has been a great ally. But what happened is unacceptable”

Turkey says it hopes to know “before long” what really happened to Jamal Khashoggi and it is seeking DNA samples to help the investigation.

There’s a good deal of skepticism over the Saudi explanation of Khashoggi’s death. However, the Kingdom’s closest allies, the U.A.E., Bahrain and Egypt are pledging their support.