London Condemns Khashoggi Murder, Reiterates Calls For Full Probe Into Incident - Johnson

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd March, 2021) London denounces the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and reiterates its calls for a full investigation into the incident, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday commenting on the fact that the country did not stop selling arms to Riyadh, unlike the US.

Last week, the US declassified an intelligence report saying that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman had approved an operation to kill Khashoggi. The US also suspended several arms deals with Riyadh within the context of withdrawing support for offensive operations in Yemen and a diplomatic bid to end the war there. The Saudi authorities denied the US intelligence report's conclusions and said that it contained inaccurate information.

"We condemn the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, we continue to call for a full investigation into the causes of his death and indeed, we have already sanctioned 20 people in Saudi Arabia," Johnson said when Labour Party leader Keir Starmer asked about arms sales during a parliament session.

Khashoggi went missing in 2018 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh initially denied any knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts but eventually admitted that he had been killed inside the diplomatic mission's building. The Saudi government sentenced several people over their role in Khashoggi's murder and has repeatedly denied allegations that members of the royal family were involved in the incident.