The Saudi Arabian government has fired five top officials and arrested 18 other Saudi nationals in connection to his death which they say occurred after a fist fight broke out at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Among the sacked officials are Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Maj.Gen.Ahmed al-Assiri.
Al-Assiri posted a message on his Twitter account on Friday night in Arabic.
A rough translation of the message reads: “I extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to His Holiness the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness the Crown Prince, for the great confidence they have placed in me and for this great opportunity to honor my national service over the past years.
“I will remain a faithful servant of my country for a long time, and our dear homeland will remain lofty, God willing.”
The kingdom launched its own investigation into the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi, 59, at its consulate after the journalist who has been missing for more than two weeks was last seen entering the building.
Saudi Arabia has not named any of its suspects.
Mohamed bin Saleh al Rumeh, assistant to the president of general intelligence for intelligence affairs, Abduallah bin Khalifa al Shaya, assistant to the president of general intelligence for human resources, and Rachad bin Hamed al Muhamadi, director of the general department for security and protection in the command of general intelligence, were also dismissed.
The state’s media confirmed yesterday that investigations had showed Mr Khashoggi had a physical altercation with a team from Riyadh on 2 October which led to his death.
The suspects had attempted to cover up what happened, they said.
The Saudis added: “While the investigations are still ongoing into the case with the 18 Saudi detainees, the Kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place.”
A Saudi official told Reuters it was unclear where the body was after it was handed over to a “local cooperator” but there was no sign of it at the consulate.
The Saudi prosecutor in Riyadh has opened an investigation into Khashoggi’s death, officials announced.