Turkey’s public prosecutor indicts 20 Saudis in Jamal Khashoggi murder

Istanbul’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has prepared an indictment against 20 Saudis in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate 17 months ago in Istanbul.

The former intelligence chief, Ahmad Asiri and former adviser to the royal court, Saud Al-Qahtani, were both on the list for “instigated premeditated murder with monstrous intent.”

Eighteen others were accused of carrying out the killing of Khashoggi, who was a US resident at the time of his murder and writing for The Washington Post.

The indictment was based on the analysis of the suspects’ mobile phone records, their entry and exit information to Turkey, their presence at the consulate, witness accounts, and Khashoggi’s mobile, tablet and iPad data.

READ: Who are Saudis under spotlight over Khashoggi’s killing?

The Saudi Ministry of Information has not yet responded to a request for comment.

In December, a Saudi court sentenced five people to death and imprisoned three over Khashoggi’s murder. But a Saudi prosecutor said that there was no evidence linking Al-Qahtani to the murder, and the court dropped the charges against Asiri, a decision criticised by human rights groups.

The Khashoggi killing in October 2018 sparked global outrage and tarnished the image of Kingdom, particularly its Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman.

A number of Western governments and the UN believe the future king, known as MBS, issued the order to kill Khashoggi. They Saudis strongly deny this accusation.