Khashoggi Case: Germany Bans Journo Murder Suspects

Local Editor

Germany has imposed an entry ban on 18 Saudi citizens suspected of involvement in the killing of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month.

Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister said there were still more questions than answers regarding the investigation into Khashoggi’s death and who ordered the killing.

He said after close consultation with the UK and France, Germany had decided to impose an entry ban on the 18 Saudis. “We are coordinating closely on this issue within the EU,” Maas said.

He said the 3 governments had emphasized at the weekend that the Saudi authorities needed to do more to clarify what had happened in Istanbul.

Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said it was “quite clear that the circumstances of this terrible crime have not yet been cleared up to a satisfactory degree”.

Saudi Arabia admitted last week that Khashoggi had been forcibly restrained, drugged and his body dismembered at the consulate. Turkey has insisted it was a premeditated murder carried out by a Saudi hit squad, and criticized Saudi Arabia for not cooperating with its investigation.

Saudi Arabia itself has tried to bring closure to the issue by absolving Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the killing and seeking the death penalty for five of 11 suspects indicted over the murder.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team