(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia will not extradite suspects in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, its foreign minister said, dismissing a demand by Turkey that 18 people be handed over.
“The individuals are Saudi nationals, they are detained in Saudi Arabia, the investigation is in Saudi Arabia,” Adel Al-Jubeir said Saturday at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain. “They will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called on the kingdom to extradite the suspects Turkish investigators have identified in Khashoggi’s murder as a sign of goodwill. Istanbul’s chief prosecutor has prepared a request for the extradition, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
The U.S. has already revoked visas for suspects in the killing and will be taking additional measures as the situation is clarified, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said during an earlier address at the same conference.
“The United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence,” he said. “Failure of any one nation to adhere to international norms and the rule of law undermines regional stability when it is needed the most.”
In Istanbul on Saturday, at a meeting with the leaders of Russia, Germany and Turkey to discuss Syria, French President Emmanuel Macron urged greater efforts to learn more about the events.
“The facts are established, but we have to get to the bottom of what happened, and the responsibility,” Macron said at a news conference.
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