23 October 2018•Update: 23 October 2018
RIYADH
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday met the two sons of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whose death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul Riyadh has recently appeared to confirm, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Sahl and Salah Khashoggi were received by the king and his son -- both of whom offered condolences to the Khashoggi family -- at Riyadh’s Yamamah Royal Palace, the SPA reported.
A columnist for the Washington Post, Jamal Khashoggi was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
After days of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials last week admitted that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate.
Since then, King Salman has sacked the deputy head of the Saudi intelligence agency (along with a top aide), while also ordering the arrest of 18 individuals suspected of involvement in the journalist’s death.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate, but insisted that Saudi Arabia’s high-profile crown prince had been unaware of the murder.
Al-Jubeir has also posited the notion that the murder was carried out by “rogue” elements of the Saudi security apparatus.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday rejected Saudi official narratives about the killing of Khashoggi, stressing that his country had "strong evidence" showing that the murder was premeditated.
