Khashoggi's killing was a mistake, says Saudi Foreign Minister

Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has admitted that the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a mistake and a rogue operation.

While talking to Fox News about the incident, al-Jubeir said, "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 up. That is unacceptable in any government."

He also asserted that Saudi Arabia is determined to find the truth and is currently investigating the killing of the journalist.

"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.

 

The minister also reiterated that the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was unaware of this operation and the people involved in the killing 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 killing.

The journalist went missing on October 2 after cameras captured him walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. He was, however, declared dead by Saudi Arabia after two weeks of denial about any information on his disappearance.

Saudi Arabia's Attorney General confirmed that preliminary investigations indicate that the journalist died inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after a brawl within the premises.