Saudi Arabia denies journalist was killed at consulate in Turkey

Saudi Arabia on Sunday denied reports that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing earlier this week, was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, as reported by several international media.

A statement released on Sunday by the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) cited a diplomatic officer as denying "these baseless allegations", reports Efe news.

The official quoted by SPA underlined that Saudi Arabia was responsible for the safety and well-being of all its citizens, wherever they may be, and that its authorities "are diligently following up on this matter to uncover the complete facts".

The statement followed reports by various international media which cited Turkish officials to allege that Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul.

According to two sources quoted by The Washington Post, for which Khashoggi worked, the journalist died earlier this week at the hands of a Saudi assassination squad.

Khashoggi, former general manager of the Al Arab Media Group and columnist for the Washington Post, disappeared on Tuesday after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he had been living in exile since 2017.

The Saudi consulate subsequently issued a statement saying that the journalist had left its premises on Tuesday, although the Turkish government, which summoned the Saudi ambassador in Ankara demanding explanations on the whereabouts of Khashoggi, said he remained inside the consular precinct.

--IANS

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