Saudi King Orders Internal Investigation Into Khashoggi's Vanishing In Istanbul - Reports

Faizan Hashmi Published October 15, 2018 | 07:57 PM

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has ordered that an internal investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul should be conducted in the Kingdom, media reported Monday, citing a Saudi official.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th October, 2018) Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has ordered that an internal investigation into the disappearance of prominent Saudi opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul should be conducted in the Kingdom, media reported Monday, citing a Saudi official.

According to the Financial Times newspaper, the decision came as several senior business executives from around the world abandoned their plans to participate in the Future Investment Initiative conference, which will be held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on October 23-25.

The business people who have already scrapped their plans to attend the event include Ford Motor Company Chairman Bill Ford, James Dimon, the chairman of the board of JPMorgan Chase & Co financial services company, Blackstone investment firm CEO Stephen Schwarzman and BlackRock investment corporation CEO Larry Fink, the news outlet added.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, went missing in Turkey on October 2. According to the journalist's fiancee, he was invited to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but never left the consulate building. According to media reports, Turkish investigators believe the journalist was murdered inside the consulate, but Saudi Arabia claims that Khashoggi went missing after he left the building.

According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Arabia should prove its non-involvement in the journalist's disappearance. The Turkish president also said that he considered Riyadh's comments in connection to the case unconvincing. Hami Aksoy, the spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, confirmed earlier in October that Ankara had received the relevant permission from Riyadh.