Trump: 'Stronger opinion' on Khashoggi case next week

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will have a "stronger opinion" on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi next week.

Trump told reporters the U.S. is working with Turkey and Saudi Arabia to uncover what happened to Khashoggi.

"I will have a much stronger opinion on that over the next week," Trump said. "We are working with Congress, working with Turkey and working with Saudi Arabia and I'm forming a very strong opinion.”

Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was killed Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Once inside, he was immediately strangled and then dismembered, according to the Istanbul Prosecutor’s office.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the top levels of the Saudi government.

Erdogan also said the perpetrators are among the 18 individuals who have been detained by Saudi Arabia in relation to the killing.

Turkey demanded the extradition of the individuals but Saudi Arabia contends it will conduct its own trial.

After announcing he was killed, Saudi Arabia has yet to reveal the location of Khashoggi’s body.

Khashoggi's family members have pleaded to the Saudi government for the return of his body so they can have a proper burial and achieve closure, but kingdom officials have been silent.