Don't know where the body of Khashoggi is: Saudi Arabia
What's the story
In yet another disappointing statement, Saudi Arabia has said that it doesn't know where the body of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi was, despite admitting to the killing and calling it a "tremendous mistake".
"We don't know, in terms of details, how. We don't know where the body is," Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said yesterday in an interview on Fox News.
Here's more.
Information
Initially believed Khashoggi left diplomatic mission in Istanbul: Saudi
Jubeir said the Saudi leadership initially believed Khashoggi had left its diplomatic mission in Istanbul, where he was last seen on October 2. But following the reports they were getting from Turkey, Saudi authorities began an investigation, which discovered "he was killed in the consulate."
Details
Jubeir says Saudi had ordered detention of 18 individuals
Jubeir said the Saudi public prosecutor had ordered the detention of 18 individuals, "the first step in a long journey".
He believes the US-Saudi relationship would eventually overcome the "terrible mistake" by Saudi.
"The individuals did this outside the scope of their authority. That's unacceptable in any government... We want to make sure we've procedures placed to prevent it from happening again," he said.
Operation
Jubeir denies Crown Prince Salman's involvement in the operation
Jubeir insisted, however, that the operation wasn't ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, despite reports tying some suspects to members of the de facto ruler's security detail.
Calling it a "rogue operation," he said, "This was an operation where individuals ended up exceeding their authorities...they made a mistake when they killed Khashoggi in the consulate and they tried to cover up for it."
US's take
US lawmakers slam Saudi leadership over the case
A growing chorus of US lawmakers including several from President Donald Trump's Republican Party have criticized the Saudi leadership over the affair, but Jubeir was confident the US-Saudi relationship would survive the crisis.
"I believe when the investigation is over and the facts are revealed, people know who is responsible and see those individuals punished, that the relationship will weather this," he said.