Trump Says Riyadh To Get 'Severe Punishment' If Found Guilty Of Khashoggi's Disappearance

Faizan Hashmi Published October 13, 2018 | 06:45 PM

US President Donald Trump said in an interview published on Saturday that Saudi Arabia would receive "severe punishment" if it was found to be responsible for the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th October, 2018) US President Donald Trump said in an interview published on Saturday that Saudi Arabia would receive "severe punishment" if it was found to be responsible for the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, who has been working for The Washington Post newspaper and has been known for his criticism of Saudi authorities, went missing in Turkey on October 2. According to his fiancee, Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul and never came out. The Washington Post reported on Friday that the Turkish authorities had shared with the United States audio and video recordings suggesting the journalist had been murdered in the Saudi consulate. Moreover, the outlet claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud had sought to bring Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia and detain him there. Riyadh has called these claims baseless.

"It's being investigated ... We would be very upset and angry if that were the case. As of this moment, they deny it ... In the not too distant future, I think we will know the answer ... There will be severe punishment [for the murder of the journalist]," Trump told the CBS broadcaster when asked whether Khashoggi was murdered by the Saudis, and whether the prince gave the order.

The US president did not exclude introduction of sanctions against Saudi Arabia in case its authorities were found to be linked to the possible assassination, but stressed that he did not want to ban exports of US weapons to Saudi Arabia and thus deprive US citizens who are engaged in the industry of their jobs.

Saudi Arabia denied any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, saying that the journalist had left the consulate. Riyadh is investigating into the journalist's disappearance together with Ankara.