In Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He was speaking at the Saudi investment conference in Riyadh dubbed “Davos in the Desert.”
Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman: “First of all, the crime was really painful to all Saudis, and I believe it is painful to every human in the world. It is a heinous crime that cannot be justified. Today, Saudi Arabia is carrying out all legal things to finalize the investigation, to cooperate with the Turkish government and to present the perpetrators to the court and take their judgment.”
Saudi Arabia’s top prosecutor said Thursday that Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a “premeditated” act. It’s the latest change in the narrative over Khashoggi’s death—reversing an earlier Saudi statement that Khashoggi died after a “fistfight” inside the consulate. The Saudi royal family has denied involvement, instead scapegoating a number of Saudi agents who they say are responsible for the murder. Turkish authorities maintain that Khashoggi was tortured, killed and dismembered in a premeditated operation organized by Saudi government officials.