Sputnik has discussed possible retaliatory measures that Saudi Arabia might resort to amid pressure over the missing journalist's case with Gawdat Bahgat, professor of national security affairs at the National Defense University's Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Study.

Sputnik: Riyadh warns it will not be undermined by political pressure and could respond with a bigger action. What realistically can Saudi Arabia do?

US Likely to Know What Happened to Journalist Khashoggi 'By End of Week' - Trump Gawdat Bahgat: As everybody knows, it is very complicated and I'm not surprised by the Saudi reaction. The fact of the matter is the West or the whole world needs Saudi Arabia as much as Saudi Arabia needs western powers and the rest of the world. Saudi Arabia is a very important country in the war on terrorism.

The two holiest Islamic places are in Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia shares very important intelligence information with other countries, not only Western powers but also in Russia the war on extremist groups Saudi Arabia is very important. Saudi Arabia is also very important in the oil industry and in arms sales. So, the whole world is interested in Saudi Arabia. So that's why Saudi Arabia has some leverage to intimidate the rest of the world or to threaten retaliation.

READ MORE: Saudi Arabia, Turkey Likely to Resolve Tensions Over Khashoggi Case — Naumkin

Sputnik: Realistically, what would you expect Saudi Arabia to do?

Gawdat Bahgat: If I may, I can make two points here. Saudi Arabia is not popular at all in the American public opinion. The great majority of Americans had a very negative perception of Saudi Arabia even before what happened with the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It looks to me very unlikely that the administration will take the initiative to impose any sanctions on Saudi Arabia; more likely the Congress will take the lead and at the end the Trump administration will have no choice but to follow the Congress.

The global economy will collapse. That has never happened before. As we speak, western powers are imposing sanctions on Russia and Iran, two major oil producing countries; if they add Saudi Arabia, it has never happened before, and this will deal a huge blow to the global economy.

READ MORE: US Needs to Know Facts Behind Khashoggi Vanishing to Formulate Response — Pompeo

Sputnik: It would be very difficult to switch to other options but then there's Russia which is also under sanctions and could become of this a nice little sanctioned the by the West club, and perhaps, Saudi Arabia could pivot towards Russia to a greater extent, what are your thoughts on that?

Gawdat Bahgat: This is exactly what I believe. I believe there will be some kind of sanctions, some kind of punishment for Saudi Arabia. It is hard now to decide exactly how severe these sanctions will be, but I believe with pressure from Europe and from the Congress there will be some kind of sanctions, some kind of punishment for Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi reaction will be, I believe, to get closer to Russia and China and also to Israel. One way to get the American public to accept Saudi Arabia is closer relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel; and it is hard to see how this will play out, but I believe this Cold War mentality to try to play off one superpower against the other will not work.

READ MORE: Turkish Police Discover Evidence of Khashoggi Murder in Saudi Consulate — Report

Sputnik: Bottom line, how effective would any efforts to sanction Saudi Arabia really be?

Gawdat Bahgat: I don't believe it will have much impact. It might delay or complicate their plan to reform the economy, to have foreign investment; but at the end of the day, Saudi Arabia has a lot of money and is investing in many countries including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Europe. Saudi Arabia is not Libya. So I believe sadly, the whole issue will be behind us in a few weeks, a few months, and Saudi Arabia will survive this.

Views and opinions expressed in the article are those of Gawdat Bahgat and do not necessarily express those of Sputnik.</s>Sputnik has discussed possible retaliatory measures that Saudi Arabia might resort to amid pressure over the missing journalist's case with Gawdat Bahgat, professor of national security affairs at the National Defense University's Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Study.

Sputnik: Riyadh warns it will not be undermined by political pressure and could respond with a bigger action. What realistically can Saudi Arabia do?

US Likely to Know What Happened to Journalist Khashoggi 'By End of Week' - Trump Gawdat Bahgat: As everybody knows, it is very complicated and I'm not surprised by the Saudi reaction. The fact of the matter is the West or the whole world needs Saudi Arabia as much as Saudi Arabia needs western powers and the rest of the world. Saudi Arabia is a very important country in the war on terrorism.

The two holiest Islamic places are in Saudi Arabia; Saudi Arabia shares very important intelligence information with other countries, not only Western powers but also in Russia the war on extremist groups Saudi Arabia is very important. Saudi Arabia is also very important in the oil industry and in arms sales. So, the whole world is interested in Saudi Arabia. So that's why Saudi Arabia has some leverage to intimidate the rest of the world or to threaten retaliation.

READ MORE: Saudi Arabia, Turkey Likely to Resolve Tensions Over Khashoggi Case — Naumkin

Sputnik: Realistically, what would you expect Saudi Arabia to do?

Gawdat Bahgat: If I may, I can make two points here. Saudi Arabia is not popular at all in the American public opinion. The great majority of Americans had a very negative perception of Saudi Arabia even before what happened with the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. It looks to me very unlikely that the administration will take the initiative to impose any sanctions on Saudi Arabia; more likely the Congress will take the lead and at the end the Trump administration will have no choice but to follow the Congress.

The global economy will collapse. That has never happened before. As we speak, western powers are imposing sanctions on Russia and Iran, two major oil producing countries; if they add Saudi Arabia, it has never happened before, and this will deal a huge blow to the global economy.

READ MORE: US Needs to Know Facts Behind Khashoggi Vanishing to Formulate Response — Pompeo

Sputnik: It would be very difficult to switch to other options but then there's Russia which is also under sanctions and could become of this a nice little sanctioned the by the West club, and perhaps, Saudi Arabia could pivot towards Russia to a greater extent, what are your thoughts on that?

Gawdat Bahgat: This is exactly what I believe. I believe there will be some kind of sanctions, some kind of punishment for Saudi Arabia. It is hard now to decide exactly how severe these sanctions will be, but I believe with pressure from Europe and from the Congress there will be some kind of sanctions, some kind of punishment for Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi reaction will be, I believe, to get closer to Russia and China and also to Israel. One way to get the American public to accept Saudi Arabia is closer relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel; and it is hard to see how this will play out, but I believe this Cold War mentality to try to play off one superpower against the other will not work.

READ MORE: Turkish Police Discover Evidence of Khashoggi Murder in Saudi Consulate — Report

Sputnik: Bottom line, how effective would any efforts to sanction Saudi Arabia really be?

Gawdat Bahgat: I don't believe it will have much impact. It might delay or complicate their plan to reform the economy, to have foreign investment; but at the end of the day, Saudi Arabia has a lot of money and is investing in many countries including Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, the United States, Europe. Saudi Arabia is not Libya. So I believe sadly, the whole issue will be behind us in a few weeks, a few months, and Saudi Arabia will survive this.

Views and opinions expressed in the article are those of Gawdat Bahgat and do not necessarily express those of Sputnik.</s>President Trump admitted Thursday that Jamal Khashoggi is probably dead, as hope that the missing journalist would turn up alive dissipated.

'It certainly looks that way to me, it's very sad,' Trump told journalists as he prepared to board Air Force One for a flight to Montana. 'It's bad, bad stuff, but we'll see what happens.'

Trump said that the punishment would be 'severe' if he finds out that Saudi Arabia harmed the journalist.

He ignored questions as he left the White House on about the suspected murder and his earlier claim that it may have been perpetrated by rogue killers.

Hours before a family member of Khashoggi's - a cousin still living in Saudi Arabia- suggested the writer who lives in America could still be alive.

Motasem Khashoggi told CNN in a statement that Khashoggi family considers the Saudi-born writer to be a 'missing person' and they have 'no legal or official proof' that would prove otherwise.

CNN says the family pushed backed on claims that Khashoggi is a Saudi dissident whom the government would want to target.

The statement said that the family had been in 'close contact with the Saudi government at the highest level' and that they were assured that 'many steps that are being taken at the very top to answer many of the questions we, and the world have, regarding Jamal's disappearance.'

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin caved to pressure on Thursday and said he would join a slew of CEOs in dropping out of a Saudi investment conference.

'Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia,' Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin had been under intense pressure to drop out of the conference that the White House had cast as intrinsic to their effort to dry up funds for terrorists.

He had maintained until now that he would participate, in spite of Turkish assurances that Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi was not missing but had been kidnapped and murdered by a Saudi Arabian hit squad.

After a meeting with Trump and the secretary of state, who was fresh off a trip to both nations, Mnuchin suddenly changed course.

The announcement came minutes after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at the White House that Saudi Arabia deserves a 'few more days' to get to the bottom of the disappearance of Khashoggi amid a growing uproar about the alleged murder of the Saudi dissident.

'We made clear to them that we take this matter very seriously, and they made clear to me that they too understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi,' he said. 'They also made clear that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion.'

Pompeo spoke after he briefed President Trump on his meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, where he warned the Saudi royal family they have 72 hours to finish the investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance.

Reports described a tough meeting between Pompeo and the crown prince, after smiling photos of the two men fed a narrative that the U.S. was willing to assist the Saudis in finding a cover for the killing.

Trump insisted on Wednesday that that wasn't the case.

'I’m not giving cover at all,' he argued. 'With that being said, Saudi Arabia has been a very important ally of ours in the Middle East.'

Trump said he wanted to speak to Pompeo before deciding on a course to take. He said he had not personally gotten his hands on a reported audio tape of the journalist's killing.

'We have asked for it, if it exists. We have asked for it,' Trump said.

The president had suggested earlier in the week that the suspected death was a 'rogue' killing that was not ordered by the Saudi kingdom after a conversation with the nation's king.

Pompeo revealed little additional information about the state of internal investigation that's being conducted by Saudi Arabia. Turkey is also doggedly pursuing leads into the disappearance of the journalist who was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

'I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so we can get a complete understanding the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make a decision about how the United States should respond to the issues surrounding Mr. Khashoggi,' Pompeo said.

Pompeo said the crown prince made a 'personal commitment' to him about the nature of the investigation – which takes place amid intelligence leaks from Turkey that are already providing gruesome details of Khashoggi's alleged murder and torture inside the consulate in Istanbul.

'We're all going to get to see the work product, we're all going to get to see the response that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes with this,' Pompeo said.

'When we see that we'll get a chance to determine, all of us will get to make a determination with respect to the credibility and the work that went into that. Whether it's truly accurate, fair, transparent in the very way they made a personal commitment to me, and the crown prince also made a personal commitment to the president when he spoke to him, I believe it was the night before last,' he asserted.

Pompeo's public comments follow statements by anonymous sources familiar with his meeting with the crown prince that it was a tough encounter that belies the smiling public images of their talks.

A source told CNN that Pompeo warned Mohammed bin Salman the Saudis must 'own' the situation because 'every fact is going to get out.'

He also communicated 'bluntly that if they don't, the US will have to deal with this,' according to the source, and 'will take action because the world will demand it and that President Trump's hand will be forced by the global pressure.'

The top U.S. diplomat arrived in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Wednesday after visiting Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss the progress of the investigation into the Washington Post columnist's disappearance.

Turkish media published grisly new allegations that Khashoggi was killed by being gradually dismembered by a Saudi assassination squad just hours before Pompeo's plane touched down for talks with King Salman and his son Mohammed bin Salman.

As Pompeo prepared for his meeting with Trump after his conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he told reporters that he wanted to see the results of the investigation before arriving at any conclusions.

'I keep hearing that we're giving them some benefit of the doubt. They're going to do an investigation,' he said on Wednesday.

Pompeo was slammed for the warm, smiling images of his photo opportunity as he greeted the crown prince in Riyadh, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia and the accused orchestrate of the interrogation and killing of the dissident journalist.

The New York Times reported that a suspect identified by Turkey as a bodyguard of the prince's, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, was seen entering the Istanbul consulate hours before Khashoggi arrived to collect divorce paperwork on October 2.

Three other suspects have been linked to the crown prince's security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic doctor, Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy, the Times said.

But the United States has refused to rebuke its ally, with President Trump insisting on the principle of innocent until proven guilty.

Pompeo, a former CIA chief under Trump, has refused to dole out any information on the suspected murder,telling his traveling press in Riyadh, 'I don't want to talk about any of the facts.'

Pompeo told the media as he left Saudi Arabia: 'My assessment from these meetings is that there is serious commitment to determine all the facts and ensure accountability, including accountability for Saudi Arabia's senior leaders or senior officials.

'They made a commitment that they would show the entire world the results of their investigation. They also indicated they would get this done quickly.'

President Trump also refused to accuse Saudi Arabia and even drew a parallel with the case of new U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who had faced a swirl of sexual assault allegations in the lead up to his confirmation hearing.

'Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent,' Trump told the Associated Press.

American intelligence officials are increasingly convinced that Mohammed bin Salman is culpable in the killing of Khashoggi, a source told the New York Times.

Consul General Mohammed al-Otaib, who was reportedly heard on an audio recording telling the assassins, 'do this outside, you're going to get me in trouble', as they cut off journalist's fingers one-by-one inside embassy.

It was reported Wednesday night he had been fired and subjected to an investigation following his return to Riyadh after he fled Turkey, but independent sources have not corroborated that information.

Turkish government sources have said police believe the journalist was killed by a special team of 15 Saudi officials sent to Istanbul especially to carry out the 'hit' and were lying in wait for Khashoggi.

The controversy has blown a hole in attempts by Crown Prince Mohammed to promote himself as a modern reformer and led to a spate of cancellations of Mnuchin and top CEOs from a major Riyadh investment conference, dubbed 'Davos in the desert', which was due to start next week.

Trump would only say Thursday in a matter-of-fact statement that he had spoken with his secretary of state.

'Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned last night from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. I met with him this morning wherein the Saudi situation was discussed in great detail, including his meeting with the Crown Prince. He is waiting for the results of the investigations being done by the Saudis and Turkey, and just gave a news conference to that effect,' the president tweeted.</s>When asked to confirm that Khashoggi is not inside the consulate, the crown prince told Bloomberg, "Yes, he's not inside."

"My understanding is he entered and he got out after a few minutes or one hour. I'm not sure. We are investigating this through the foreign ministry to see exactly what happened at that time," he told Bloomberg at the time.

It also contradicts the Saudi government's earlier account of events. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously told Bloomberg that the dissident journalist left the consulate shortly after he arrived .

That explanation counters multiple reports of how Khashoggi died. Turkish officials told The New York Times that it has audio evidence which proves Khashoggi was tortured, killed and subsequently dismembered by a hit team of Saudi agents.

The government said that Khashoggi got into a fight with the people he met at the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2. The kingdom alleged that Khashoggi died in that clash.

A man holds a poster of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest organized by members of the Turkish-Arabic Media Association at the entrance to Saudi Arabia's consulate on October 8, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The kingdom also fired Deputy Chief of General Intelligence Ahmad bin Hassan Asiri and royal court advisor Abdullah Al-Qahtani. The kingdom also said a committee would be formed to restructure its intelligence agency under the supervision of Prince Mohammed, "to modernize its regulations and define its powers precisely."

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Saudi officials close to the crown prince planned on blaming Asiri for Khashoggi's death. The Times said by making Asiri a scapegoat, the government could help shield the crown prince from blame.

Through its state press, the kingdom said it has detained 18 Saudi nationals after preliminary investigations linked them to the case.

Saudi Arabia said it "is taking the necessary measures to clarify the circumstances in the case of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi" and that "all those involved will be brought to justice."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders issued the following statement:

"The United States acknowledges the announcement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that its investigation into the fate of Jamal Khashoggi is progressing and that it has taken action against the suspects it has identified thus far. We will continue to closely follow the international investigations into this tragic incident and advocate for justice that is timely, transparent, and in accordance with all due process. We are saddened to hear confirmation of Mr. Khashoggi's death, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family, fiancée, and friends."

In the weeks following Khashoggi's disappearance, the international community increasingly pressed Saudi Arabia for the dissident's whereabouts. U.S. President Donald Trump also faced mounting criticism for being too soft in his response. On Thursday, Trump acknowledged Khashoggi was likely dead and said he would consider "very severe consequences" if Saudi Arabia is found responsible.

But Trump's resistance to act swiftly sparked comparisons to how he has spoken deferentially about other autocratic leaders accused of human rights abuses, such as Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. On Tuesday, the president told The Associated Press that he saw a case of "you're guilty until proven innocent."

Trump on Friday called the arrests a "good first step." Yet he also mentioned that he would be reluctant to undo arms deals with the kingdom if the U.S. were to slap Saudi Arabia with sanctions over Khashoggi's death.

Vice President Mike Pence said that the U.S. will not "solely rely" on information provided by Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Several members of Congress have called for swift sanctions on oil-rich Saudi Arabia in the uproar over Khashoggi. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., quickly expressed his doubts about the Saudi account of the journalist's death, saying "It's hard to find this latest 'explanation' as credible."

The announcement comes more than two weeks after Khashoggi was last seen in public, entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi was a frequent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal family and wrote columns for The Washington Post.

In his last column for the Post, Khashoggi highlighted the need for independent and free press in Arab nations. He said the international community had turned a blind eye to the increasing rate at which Arab governments were silencing the press.

"These actions no longer carry the consequence of a backlash from the international community. Instead, these actions may trigger condemnation quickly followed by silence," Khashoggi wrote.

— CNBC's Jacob Pramuk, Christina Wilkie and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.</s>ISTANBUL — Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in a “fistfight” in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, the kingdom claimed early Saturday, finally admitting that the writer had been slain at its diplomatic post. Authorities said 18 Saudi suspects were in custody and intelligence officials had been fired.

The overnight announcements in Saudi state media came more than two weeks after Khashoggi, 59, entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul for paperwork required to marry his Turkish fiancée, and never came out. They also contradicted assertions in Turkish media leaks that Khashoggi was tortured, killed and dismembered inside the consulate, claims the kingdom had rejected as “baseless.”

But growing international pressure and comments by U.S. officials up to President Donald Trump forced the kingdom to acknowledge Khashoggi’s death.

While it fired officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia stopped short of implicating the heir-apparent of the world’s largest oil exporter. King Salman, his father, appointed him to lead a committee that will restructure the kingdom’s intelligence services after Khashoggi’s slaying. No major decisions in Saudi Arabia are made outside of the ultraconservative kingdom’s ruling Al Saud family.

The kingdom also offered a far different version of events than those given by Turkish officials, who have said an “assassination squad” from the kingdom including an official from Prince Mohammed’s entourage and an “autopsy expert” flew in ahead of time and laid in wait for Khashoggi at the consulate. Beyond its statements attributed to anonymous officials, Saudi Arabia offered no evidence to support its claims.

Khashoggi, a prominent journalist and royal court insider for decades in Saudi Arabia, had written columns for The Washington Post critical of Prince Mohammed and the kingdom’s direction while living in self-imposed exile in the U.S.

“God have mercy on you my love Jamal, and may you rest in Paradise,” Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, tweeted following the Saudi announcements.

In a statement Friday night, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the U.S. will closely follow international investigations into Khashoggi’s death and will advocate for justice that is “timely, transparent and in accordance with all due process.”

Trump meanwhile called the Saudi announcement a “good first step,” but said what happened to Khashoggi was “unacceptable.”

The announcements came in a flurry of statements carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency early Saturday morning.

“Preliminary investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution showed that the suspects had traveled to Istanbul to meet with the citizen Jamal Khashoggi as there were indications of the possibility of his returning back to the country,” the statement read. “Discussions took place with the citizen Jamal Khashoggi during his presence in the consulate of the kingdom in Istanbul by the suspects (that) did not go as required and developed in a negative way, leading to a fistfight. . The brawl led to his death and their attempt to conceal and hide what happened.”

There’s been no indication Khashoggi had any immediate plans to return to the kingdom.

The Saudi statements did not identify the 18 Saudis being held by authorities and did not explain how so many people could have been involved in a fistfight. The statement also did not shed any light on what happened to Khashoggi’s body after his death.

“The kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place and stresses the commitment of the authorities in the kingdom to bring the facts to the public opinion, to hold all those involved accountable and bring them to justice,” the statement said.

The kingdom at the same time announced the firing of four top intelligence officials, including Maj. Gen. Ahmed bin Hassan Assiri, a one-time spokesman for the Saudi military’s campaign in Yemen who later became a confidant of Prince Mohammed.

Saud Qahtani, a powerful adviser to Prince Mohammed, also was fired. Qahtani had led Saudi efforts to isolate Qatar amid a boycott of the country by the kingdom and three other Arab nations as part of a political dispute.

On Twitter, where Qahtani had launched vitriolic attacks against those he saw as the kingdom’s enemies, he thanked the Saudi government for the “great opportunity they gave me to serve my country all those years”

“I will remain a loyal servant to my country for all times,” he wrote.

Assiri had no immediate comment.

Earlier this week, the Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi’s slaying, said a Saudi assassination squad seized the journalist after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him. On Thursday, a leaked surveillance photo put Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, a member of Prince Mohammed’s entourage on trips to the U.S., France and Spain this year, at the consulate just ahead of Khashoggi’s arrival.

Turkish crime scene investigators this week searched the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul and the nearby residence of the Saudi consul general, and came out carrying bags and boxes. On Friday, investigators questioned staff and explored whether his remains could have been dumped outside Istanbul after his suspected killing, Turkish media and a security official said.

Trump has said that the consequences for the Saudis “will have to be very severe” if they are found to have killed Khashoggi, but has insisted that more facts must be known before making any judgements. He dispatched U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this week to both Saudi Arabia and Turkey to speak to officials on the case.

The president has made close ties to the kingdom a priority since taking office. Trump made his first overseas trip as president to Saudi Arabia and has touted his arms sales to the kingdom. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, responsible for a coming peace proposal for Israel and the Palestinians, also has forged a close relationship with Prince Mohammed.

Trump’s previous warnings over the case drew an angry response Sunday from Saudi Arabia and its state-linked media, including a suggestion that Riyadh could wield its oil production as a weapon. The U.S. president wants King Salman and OPEC to boost production to drive down high oil prices, caused in part by the coming re-imposition of oil sanctions on Iran in November.

It’s unclear whether the Saudi announcement will be enough to staunch the criticism the kingdom faces from lawmakers in the U.S., its most-crucial ally. California Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, called Saudi Arabia’s claim that Khashoggi was “killed while brawling with a team of more than a dozen dispatched from Saudi Arabia is not credible.”

He was “fighting for his life with people sent to capture or kill him,” Schiff said.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who earlier this week said in a televised interview that Prince Mohammed “has got to go,” added: “To say that I am skeptical of the new Saudi narrative about Mr. Khashoggi is an understatement.”

Human rights groups like Amnesty International separately have been calling for a United Nations investigation into Khashoggi’s killing.

“All along we were concerned about a whitewash, or an investigation by the entity suspected of involvement itself,” Amnesty’s Rawya Rageh said Saturday. “The impartiality of a Saudi investigation would remain in question.”

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey, and Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press journalists Mehmet Guzel and Ayse Wieting in Istanbul, Zeke Miller in Washington and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.</s>If Trump will not respond to Khashoggi killing, Congress might today

Saudi Arabia admitted journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul, saying he died in brawl but made no mention of where his body is.

Preliminary results of investigations showed the dissident writer died after a fight broke out inside the building shortly after he entered, the official SPA press agency said on Saturday.

Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said Khashoggi died after "discussions" at the consulate devolved into an altercation.

"Discussions that took place between him and the persons who met him … at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul led to a brawl and a fist fight with the citizen, Jamal Khashoggi, which led to his death, may his soul rest in peace," the attorney general said in a statement.

"The investigations are still under way and 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested."

Royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Asiri were fired from their positions, the statement said.

It remains unclear where Khashoggi's body is following his killing.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's (MBS) rise to power, went missing on October 2 after entering the consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage.

His whereabouts remained unknown since.

US President Donald Trump said he found Saudi Arabia's explanation about Khashoggi's credible.

"It's early, we haven't finished our review or investigation, but … I think it's a very important first step," he said.

Trump said sanctions against Saudi Arabia "could be" something he would consider but "it's too early to say" how the US will respond for now.

He said he does not want to cancel a multibillion-dollar arms deal with the Saudis in response to the admission of guilt.

"I would prefer, if there is going to be some form of sanction or what we may determine to do, if anything ... that we don't use as retribution cancelling $110bn worth of work, which means 600,000 jobs," he said.

Republican Senator Rand Paul tweeted: "We should also halt all military sales, aid and cooperation immediately. There must be a severe price for these actions by Saudi Arabia."

'Insulting'

Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security, said she was "surprised" by the Saudis' story about Khashoggi's death.

"They knew they had to come up with a story, and this is what they think is the best story for their purposes. It's at the very least insufficient, but it's also insulting. It's 'here's our story and we're sticking to it'."

Greenberg said Saudi King Salman could have reprimanded and removed his son from power for the killing.

"This is a brutal, horrifying, pointed assassination of a journalist who had strong ties to the West and was a resident of the United States. Each one of those is a line that you wouldn't have expected the king to allow to be crossed," Greenberg told Al Jazeera.

Saudi officials previously denied the writer had been killed inside the diplomatic facility, insisting Khashoggi had left the building before vanishing.

Turkish media reports have suggested Khashoggi was killed by a 15-person "assassination team" who flew in on two chartered planes to interrogate, torture and kill him.

A Saudi official familiar with the investigation told the Reuters news agency the crown prince had no knowledge of the Khashoggi operation.

"There were no orders for them to kill him or even specifically kidnap him," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. "MBS had no knowledge of this specific operation and certainly did not order a kidnapping or murder of anybody."

'Unprecedented' admission

Over the past two weeks, Turkish intelligence had also disclosed a steady stream of leaks to the media, saying it had audio recordings that proved Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate building.

On Wednesday, the Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of the journalist's killing, said the 15-member squad immediately accosted Khashoggi after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.

Aaron David Miller, Middle East analyst at the Wilson Center in Washington, told Al Jazeera the Saudi announcement was an effort to protect the powerful crown prince.

"Part of this is unprecedented. For an intel operation, for renditions and kidnappings, which they have done all the time, they have never disclosed or assumed any responsibility. And they've done it in response to pressure," said Miller.

"They are creating this cover story that his death occurred during a fist fight. It's another step in a big kabuki theatre."

Turkish crime scene investigators this week searched the consulate building in Istanbul and the nearby residence of the Saudi consul general, and came out carrying bags and boxes. On Friday, investigators questioned staff and explored whether his remains could have been dumped outside Istanbul, Turkish media and a security official said.

Al Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Turkey's capital, Ankara, said Turkish officials are accusing Saudi officials of attempting to thwart a joint Saudi-Turkish investigation, noting MBS has been put in charge of leading the Saudi probe into Khashoggi's disappearance.

"It's a question of how to get away with murder," she said. "For the sake of the prosecution, the only thing missing is the body of Jamal Khashoggi in order to file an indictment. Now, Turkey is going to ask, 'Where is the body?"

'Unacceptable'

SPA also reported on Saturday that Saudi Arabia expressed its "deep regret" for Khashoggi's death and praised the Turkish government's cooperation.

"The kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place and stresses the commitment of the authorities in the kingdom to bring the facts to the public opinion, to hold all those involved accountable, and bring them to justice," it said.

The statement came shortly after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would consider a "wide range" of responses.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons, reporting from Istanbul, said it remains to be seen how the US and Turkey respond to the revelation of Khashoggi's death.

"It's going to be extremely tense in the coming hours," he said. "Can they ride this out with this explanation? It remains to be seen," said Simmons.

"The pressure is now on the Turks to respond in some way to this assertion."

Intelligence agency restructuring

Meanwhile, SPA reported that Saudi King Salman had ordered the restructuring of the command of the general intelligence agency under the supervision of MBS.

The order also included updating regulations, determining the agency's powers and evaluating its methods and procedures.

It said the king ordered the formation of a ministerial committee, headed by the crown prince, to oversee the restructuring. It will include the interior minister, the foreign minister, the head of the intelligence agency and the chief of homeland security.

Observers questioned the viability of MBS overseeing the Saudi probe, considering he is a prime suspect in ordering Khashoggi's murder.

On Twitter, where al-Qahtani had launched vitriolic attacks against those he saw as the kingdom's enemies, he thanked the Saudi government for the "great opportunity they gave me to serve my country all those years".

"I will remain a loyal servant to my country for all times," he wrote on Saturday.

Al-Assiri had no immediate comment.

Credit: ​​​​​​​Al Jazeera</s>Demonstration for missing columnist Jamal Khashoggi in front of The Washington Post on Oct. 10, 2018.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia dispatched a trusted aide to help diffuse tensions surrounding the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi last Thursday.

During his trip to Istanbul, Turkey, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, the king's aide, met with Turkish officials. The countries formed a joint working group to investigate the crisis.

Salman's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has also been investigating Khashoggi's disappearance at the order of the king, though the crown prince is thought to have been instrumental in the plan to detain Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate, according to the Washington Post.

How did we get here? Follow USA TODAY's timeline of events in the reporter's mysterious disappearance:

In the morning, two private planes with fifteen Saudi officials on board arrived in Istanbul from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to Sabah, a Turkish news outlet. The officials checked into two hotels near the consulate and booked rooms for three nights, but they came back to the hotel later that day to collect their things and check out.

Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen who moved to the United States last year, entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul at 1:30 p.m. for a document permitting him to marry his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish Ph.D. student. Cengiz waited outside the consulate for four hours before contacting Turkish police.

The Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported Khashoggi was tortured and dismembered with a bone saw within two hours of entering the consulate after obtaining a recording of the alleged attack. The torturers can be heard telling each other to "shut up if you live when you return to (Saudi) Arabia" on the recording. Khashoggi was dead in seven minutes, according to Yeni Safak.

On what should have been her wedding day, fiancee Cengiz returned to the consulate to ask for Khashoggi.

The crown prince said in an interview with Bloomberg that he would be open to an investigation by Turkish officials into Khashoggi's disappearance.

The Saudi government released its first official statement about Khashoggi's disappearance, announcing their willingness to cooperate with investigators.

Saudi officials denounced "baseless allegations" on Oct. 7 against the country in a statement after Reuters reported that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate.

The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Khalid bin Salman, sent Axios reporter Jonathan Swan a WhatsApp message on Oct. 8 denying that the Saudi government was involved in Khashoggi's disappearance. Swan asked if there was footage of Khashoggi leaving the consulate. He did not receive a reply.

The next day, Turkish authorities claimed the security footage had been taken from the consulate and that the Turkish staff in the consulate were told to take a holiday on the day Khashoggi came to the building.

A bipartisan group of senators forced the Trump administration to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance under the Magnitsky Act of 2016. The law gives presidential administrations 120 days to respond to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when they ask for probes into potential human rights abuses.

“Our expectation is that in making your determination you will consider any relevant information, including with respect to the highest ranking officials in the government of Saudi Arabia," the letter said.

In an appearance on "Fox & Friends," President Donald Trump said his administration was committed to finding the truth on Khashoggi's disappearance.

"We’re probably getting closer than you might think, but I have to find out what happened," Trump said.

Later in the day, Trump dismissed calls for the United States to suspend arms trading with Saudi Arabia, saying the country would only spend its money elsewhere if the U.S. were to restrict trade. He also reminded reporters at the White House that Khashoggi was not an American citizen.

Trump said there will be "severe punishment" if Saudi Arabia was involved in Khashoggi's death on CBS's 60 Minutes.

The next day, Saudi Arabia responded with a statement opposing those who would "undermine" the country with allegations, threatening economic sanctions and "political pressure." The same day, Sudan, Kuwait and Comoros all offered Saudi Arabia support against the allegations.

Turkish officials searched the consulate for nine hours, discovering that it had been recently repainted "everywhere," according to CNN. Erdogan told reporters the investigation was looking into whether "toxic materials" were removed "by painting them over."

On the same day, Trump told reporters that "rogue killers" could be responsible for Khashoggi's death after a call with the Saudi king.

Trump announced Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would travel to Saudi Arabia and Turkey to meet with officials there.

Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia for meetings with King Salman and the crown prince. In the U.S., Trump compared the treatment of Saudi Arabia to that of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who dealt with sexual assault allegations during his nomination process this month.

"Here we go again with you're guilty until proven innocent," Trump said.

The same day, the Associated Press reported that police searching the Saudi consulate found evidence that Khashoggi was killed in the building, though they did not disclose what kind of evidence.

Senator Lindsay Graham announced on "Fox & Friends" that he believed the crown prince was responsible for the murder.

"This guy has got to go,” Graham said “Saudi Arabia, if you’re listening, there are a lot of good people you can choose, but MBS (Mohammed bin Salman) has tainted your country and tainted himself.”

Pompeo visited Turkey to meet with investigators and told reporters that Saudi Arabia had cooperated with the Turkish investigation.

“We’re going to give them the space to complete their investigations of this incident, and when they issue their reports, we’ll form our judgment about thoroughness, depth, and the decisions they make about accountability connected to that," Pompeo said.

That evening, Trump was asked if he thought Khashoggi was dead, and the president said it "certainly looks that way to me."

The New York Times also reported that the Saudis may be preparing to blame Gen. Ahmed al-Assairi for Khashoggi's killing, that the crown prince authorized an interrogation, but al-Assairi misunderstood or ignored his orders.

Saudi authorities confirm Khashoggi died during a fight inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul. The announcement was made on state TV and also released via the official Saudi Press Agency. Saudi Arabia’s attorney general said 18 Saudi nationals were arrested, though none were identified. It is the first time the Kingdom admits Khashoggi is dead.

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, Deirdre Shesgreen and Sergio Bustos, USA TODAY; Associated Press; Reuters; New York Times; Washington Post</s>It's a rare occurrence to meet a high-profile Saudi journalist who willing to speak critically of his or her government. I had that opportunity, two days before he disappeared: Jamal Khashoggi, presciently, spoke of the impetuousness of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and about the young leader's fundamental intolerance of criticism.

Two weeks have passed since Jamal Khashoggi disappeared into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he went to complete paperwork for his marriage the next day. Tragically, he never emerged.

Disturbing reports have been levelled about Khashoggi's fate. Turkish sources say he was tortured and killed by a 15-man Saudi hit team that arrived – carrying a bone-saw – and left by private jet the same day. Four of that alleged team were identified by Turkish media as members of the Saudi Crown Prince's personal security detail. Among the most gruesome stories to leak are accounts that Khashoggi was dismembered while still alive.

The Saudi government has struggled, meanwhile, to come up with a working counter-narrative.

First, they suggested that Khashoggi had somehow left the consulate without anyone noticing, evading security cameras. Later, an idea was floated that a rogue element of the Saudi deep-state may have killed Khashoggi, even though no such deep-state exists under the absolute monarchy. Then, Saudi-owned media claimed that their regional rival Qatar was somehow to blame. And finally, reports emerged on CNN and other new outlets that the Saudi government was preparing to admit to Khashoggi's death and peg it as the result of an interrogation gone wrong.

Just before he disappeared, Khashoggi spoke of his government's image-control efforts at a conference in London about the Middle East peace process — an event for which we were both speakers. It was there that we met and spoke about Saudi government policy, and about the summer diplomatic row with Canada.

Khashoggi offered insight into the politics of the Saudi court under the rule of its "reformist" Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). When a colleague and I asked to what extent liberal reform was taking place in Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi's message was that any reforms mentioned in the press were, in reality, just cosmetic offerings made to avoid any real change. They were a distraction, he said, while MBS consolidated his power.

In fact, Khashoggi had publicly criticised Saudi Arabia's response to Canada over the summer, arguing that it was a symptom of this type of macho hyper-nationalism fostered by MBS as a way to divert attention away from his country's own problems.
• OPINION | Saudi Arabia is using Canada to test a wobbling international order
• None Trudeau rebuffs Saudi call for an apology as diplomatic spat escalates

When we asked more about MBS's qualities as a leader, Khashoggi offered a mild-mannered but pointed assessment that MBS was overconfident — "street smart" but bereft of strategic perspective. And with now-haunting prescience, he spoke of the regime's volatility, its demand for total obsequiousness and of MBS's ability to engage in reckless actions without restraint.

The dangers of speaking out against the regime are well known. Despite whatever early plaudits MBS received for his reformist agenda, there were already many concerning signs that Saudi Arabia was becoming less free under his rule, not more.

This has included a crackdown on the Saudi feminist movement (including the detainment of activists such as Eman al-Nafjan), of liberals (like Raif Badawi) and of free speech advocates (like Jamal Khashoggi, of course). In fact, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of people arrested since MBS ascended to power, with thousands held arbitrarily without trial, including potential rivals detained in an "anti-corruption" purge.

This is why, Khashoggi told us, he was living in self-exile and had no plan to return to Saudi Arabia under its current leadership. So, he planned to continue to speak freely through the Washington Post, and to live free from the threat of arrest in Washington D.C. Sadly, that will not happen.

It seems impossible now Khashoggi is still alive. The only consistent story has, from the beginning, been of his torture and death. Further, were Khashoggi still alive and "only" brazenly abducted by Saudi authorities abroad, he would likely have been returned by now after such international pressure, much like when MBS kidnapped the prime minister of Lebanon last year.

By most accounts Khashoggi is – or was – a humble man of marked accomplishments. Though an advocate of free speech and responsible government, he was also a loyalist who appeared to believe that change could take place from within Saudi Arabia's existing structures of government. He was not a dissident, but a moderate reformer who was equally willing to praise as to criticize that government's policies.

Which raises the question, if the Saudi government could not work with him on liberal reform, who could it work with?

Any announcement by the Saudi government about what, exactly, happened to Khashoggi appears to have been put on hold while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits both the capitals of Saudi Arabia and Turkey in an attempt to defuse this international crisis. Perhaps to settle on a common narrative that works for both governments.

Whatever that narrative ends up being, the apparent cartel-style killing of Jamal Khashoggi should extinguish the image of the crown prince as a modernizing force for progressive change. That story can never be resurrected.

Meanwhile, the people of Saudi Arabia still want change, and that cannot be resisted forever. The only question is how quickly change will come, and how that change will occur when the more mild-mannered voices like Khashoggi's are brokered no quarter. Rather than his request for the bare minimum — freedom of speech — this may turn into a deafening roar for democratic change, hearkening back to the 2011 uprisings the Saudi government has been resisting with ferocity. Khashoggi's fate may be a catalyst for that change coming to Saudi Arabia.

This column is part of CBC's Opinion section. For more information about this section, please read this editor's blog and our FAQ.</s>With every claim from Turkey detailing more lurid details in the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia’s media bends further forward–risking a face plant in its efforts to kowtow to a different reality.

Such has been the concentration of power in the hands of one man in this kingdom, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, that until further notice, no one is going to divert from the official narrative.</s>ISTANBUL – When Turkish investigators entered the alleged murder scene inside the Saudi consulate, they were met by the tell-tale aroma of industrial-strength cleanser and fresh paint. However, they were not surprised, having been alerted by Turkish security services that the Saudis had sent an expert team inside to conceal as best as possible their likely crime of two weeks earlier.

The notion that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi had himself relayed to the world via his Apple Watch evidence of his own torture, killing and dismemberment was quickly replaced by a more compelling story line.

Turkish intelligence services – through embedded devices that had evaded detection – had captured audio and, one well-informed source insists, also video files of the Khashoggi killing. Even more significant, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was deciding personally, through close advisers, what details to release to the world and at what moment.

The most dramatic fruit of President Erdogan's efforts came late Friday, when the Saudi government said it had fired five senior officials and arrested 18 other Saudis as a result of the investigation that the Turkish leader forced to happen. It was a dramatic turnabout from initial Saudi insistence that Khashoggi had left the consulate unharmed, while still protecting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman through the narrative of a fistfight gone wrong.

Most damning was news that those fired included Saud al-Quahtani, the crown prince's ever-present adviser, who was reported to be at the scene, and deputy intelligence chief Maj. Gen Ahmed al-Assiri. President Donald Trump called the Saudi moves "a good start," leaving the world to wonder what might be the next Saudi shoes to drop in a story more gripping than the best fiction.

This once-Ottoman and now-Turkish capital has been the setting for some of history's richest plots, from Eric Ambler's Constantinople to Agatha Christie's Istanbul. Yet what has unfolded in real time over nearly three weeks, let's call it "Murder on the Bosporus," is far more gruesome in its details and endlessly richer in its geopolitical complexity than any novelist's best-spun scheme.

It is equal parts murder mystery and geopolitical thriller, with historic stakes that could shake an Arab monarchy, shape regional security, influence global Islam and even impact crucial midterm elections in the United States, the world's most powerful democracy. A senior Trump administration official calls the situation "the biggest foreign policy challenge we've faced." A Mideast ally sums it up in more graphic terms as "a freaking mess."
Saudi Arabia's general prosecutor claims Jamal Khashoggi died in a fight inside the Istanbul consulate.