Saudi Arabia describes Khashoggi's death as a 'murder' for the first time

A Saudi government official on Sunday described Jamal Khashoggi's death as a "murder" for the first time.

Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News that the journalist's death was a "tremendous mistake" and part of a rogue operation that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had no prior knowledge of.

"The individuals who did this did this outside the scope of their authority," he said. "There obviously was a tremendous mistake made, and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up. That is unacceptable in any government."

Jubeir added: "We are determined to uncover every stone. We are determined to find out all the facts. And we are determined to punish those who are responsible for this murder."

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Jubeir's description of Khashoggi's death as a "murder" is among the most concrete and direct comments any member of the Saudi government has made on this case yet.

His remarks came just two days after Saudi Arabia officially acknowledged Khashoggi's death after nearly three weeks of denials.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who was often critical of his government, went missing on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials accused Saudi Arabia of sending in a team to brutally kill Khashoggi in the consulate, but the Saudis vehemently denied this.

The Saudis initially claimed Khashoggi safely departed the consulate, but provided no evidence of this. For 17 days, the Saudi government continued to deny involvement in his mysterious disappearance.

But on Friday, the Saudi government released a statement claiming Khashoggi died during a fistfight in the consulate. It also said 18 men were arrested in connection with the incident.

Saudi Arabia's latest claims surrounding Khashoggi's fate have been met with widespread skepticism.

Much of the alleged details surrounding Khashoggi's disappearance are based on leaks from Turkish officials to local media and other outlets, making it difficult to confirm exactly how the journalist died.

But based on various reports, the narrative that has emerged is that Khashoggi was interrogated, tortured, killed, and dismembered inside the consulate with a bone saw. A forensic specialist was reportedly present.

According to US intelligence intercepts reported by The Washington Post, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman orchestrated a plot to capture Khashoggi. The crown prince is suspected of having far more knowledge of the operation that led to his death than the Saudi government is admitting.

Jubeir claimed Sunday that bin Salman "was not aware of [Khashoggi's murder] — even the senior leadership of our intelligence service was not aware of this."

Turkey said it plans to release all of the details on its investigation into Khashoggi's death on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia describes Khashoggi's death as a 'murder' for the first time

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