Saudi prosecutors now say Khashoggi killing was planned, not accidental

Saudi prosecutors say the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was planned, state-run media reported Thursday, reflecting yet another change in the shifting Saudi Arabian account of what happened to the writer killed by Saudi officials in their consulate in Istanbul.

A statementon the state-run Saudi PressAgency from Saudi Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb attributed the conclusion about a calculated killing to information fromTurkish counterparts.

The evidence of Turkish investigators "indicates that thesuspects in the incident had committed their act with a premeditatedintention," al-Mojeb said.

After the journalist disappeared, Saudi Arabia initially insisted Khashoggi, 59, had walked out of theconsulate after visiting the building on Oct. 2. It later droppedthat account for a new one, saying he was accidentally killed in a "fist fight" during a botched operation to return him to the kingdom, and saidit had detained 18 people suspected of being involved.

The kingdom has faced growing international pressure to betransparent about the death of Khashoggi, a columnist for theWashington Post who was a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed binSalman. For his part, in his first public comments on the matter, bin Salman vowed on Wednesday that the killers would be brought to justice.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been saying for several days that he expects a full report from his officials soon, was briefed Thursday by CIA director Gina Haspel, who recently returned from Turkey, Reuters reported.

Also Thursday, Human Rights Watch said Khashoggi's son has left Saudi Arabia and is on his way to the United States. Sarah Leah Whitson, the executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division, said that Salah Khashoggi and his family left the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Thursday after a travel ban on him was lifted.

International concern

Many countries responded with skepticism to the version of abrawl involving Khashoggi and rogue officials, putting Saudi Arabiaon the defensive even as it hosted an investment conference thisweek that many dignitaries skipped because of the scandal.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hassuggested his government is looking for ways to cancel a $15-billion deal to sell light armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia.

Turkey is pushing the Saudi government to reveal exactly whoordered the killing, fuelling suspicions that bin Salman was involved even though he condemned it at the Riyadh forum, saying it was "heinous."

Also Thursday, bin Salmanattended the first meeting of acommittee aiming to restructure the kingdom's intelligence servicesafter the killing of Khashoggi, the Saudi Press Agencysaid.

The seemingly clumsy coverup of the killing has been exposed tothe world with Turkish leaks of information, security camera footageand, eventually, Saudi acknowledgments that Khashoggi died in theconsulate. Khashoggi'sremains have not been found.

Search focused on well at consulate

"Where is it?" Turkey's foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said Thursday at a newsconference.

"There is a crime here, but there is also a humanitariansituation. The family wants to know and they want to perform theirlast duty," Cavusoglu said, referring to hopes for the writer'sburial.

Turkey has been focusing on a well in the garden of the Saudi Arabian consulate in its search for Khashoggi'sremains.

There were conflicting reports Thursday about whether investigators had searched the well.

Yeni Safak, a pro-government Turkish newspaper, saysinvestigators emptied the well and are awaiting the results of an analysis of the water to determine whether body parts were dumpedthere. But Sabah, another pro-government newspaper, says Saudi Arabiahas yet to give Turkish authorities permission for a search.

Turkish officials suspect Khashoggi was killed insidethe consulate by Saudi agents and his body was cut up.Turkish sources say authorities have an audio recording purportedlydocumenting the killing.

The newspaper Yeni Safak, citing theaudio, has said his torturers cut off his fingers during an interrogation and later beheaded him.

Two sources told Reuters on Thursday thatHaspelheardthe recording during her visit to Turkey this week.

Representatives of the CIA and Turkish intelligence havedeclined to comment onHaspel'sreview of the recording.

CavusoglusaidThursdaythat Ankara had shared information with some parties who soughtadditional details. He told reporters that Turkey had nointention of taking the case to an international court but wouldshare information if an international inquiry were launched.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Saudi officialsmade "reconnaissance" trips to the forest as well as the city ofYalova a day before Khashoggi was killed. Turkish officials havetold The Associated Press that investigators were looking into thepossibility that the journalist's remains may have been hidden atthose two locations.