Jamal Khashoggi's killing: Saudi sentences 5 to death

The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman drew international condemnation for the killing because several Saudi agents involved worked directly for him. But the kingdom denied that Prince Salman had any involvement or knowledge of the operation.

Riyadh: A Saudi Arabian court on Monday sentenced five people to death for the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. He was murdered at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last year by a team of Saudi agents.

Saudi Arabia's state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV channel reported that three others were sentenced to prison. All can appeal the verdicts.

The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman drew international condemnation for the killing because several Saudi agents involved worked directly for him. The kingdom denied that Prince Salman had any involvement or knowledge of the operation.

State TV also reported that the Saudi attorney general's investigation showed that the crown prince's former top adviser, Saud al-Qahtani, had not been proven involvement in the killing. Al-Qahtani, however, has been sanctioned by the United States for his alleged role in the operation.

The court also ruled that the Saudi consul-general in Istanbul at the time, Mohammed al-Otaibi was not guilty. He was released from prison after the verdicts were announced, according to state TV.

After holding nine sessions, the trial concluded that there was no previous intent by those found guilty to murder, according to state TV.

The trials of the accused were carried out in near-total secrecy, though a handful of diplomats, including from Turkey, as well as members of Khashoggi's family, were allowed to attend the sessions.

The killing had shocked the world and drawn condemnation from the international community, including the United Nations.

Khashoggi had walked into his country’s consulate in Istanbul on that morning in October 2018 to collect documents that would allow him to wed his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz, who waited for him outside. But he never walk out.

Agnes Callamard, a UN special rapporteur who authored an inquiry into Khashoggi's killing, later said that the search for justice must not be left to the Saudi judicial system, which is "so vulnerable to political interference".

US President Donald Trump had condemned the killing, and his administration sanctioned 17 Saudis suspected of being involved, though not the crown prince. Trump, however, has steadfastly resisted calls by members of his own party for a tougher response and has defended maintaining good relations with Riyadh, framing its importance as a major buyer of US military equipment and weapons and saying that this creates American jobs.

Meanwhile, numerous critics of the Saudi crown prince remained imprisoned and face trial for their acts of dissent.