Germany urges quick completion of Khashoggi probe

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

Germany has renewed its call on Saudi Arabia to complete the investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi “as soon as possible.”

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Adebahr said many questions remained unanswered.

“As Foreign Minister Heiko Maas explicitly said earlier this week, we are demanding a full clarification of the incident,” she said.

“We will continue our efforts to see this,” she added.

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

After weeks of denying involvement, the kingdom admitted that Khashoggi had been killed at the consulate but claimed that the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of a plot to murder him.

So far, 18 people, including security officers, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder.

Last week, Turkish prosecutors announced their preliminary findings, saying Khashoggi was strangled to death in a premeditated killing soon after he entered the consulate.

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said Khashoggi's body was disposed of after being dismembered.

Saudi authorities have so far claimed that they do not know the whereabouts of his remains.