Germany: Saudi explanation on Khashoggi not sufficient

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Saudi Arabia’s explanation on the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is by no means sufficient, German government said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, government spokesman Steffen Seibert reiterated Germany’s expectation from Saudi Arabia for a credible, transparent and thorough investigation.

“We have closely followed Turkish President's statement yesterday,” he said, adding that the murder of Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul was an unprecedented incident.

“We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia about his death and its background. And we expect a credible investigation. What we heard from Saudi Arabia so far is by no means sufficient,” he said.

Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

After weeks of denying involvement in his disappearance, Saudi Arabia on Saturday announced that he died in a fight inside the consulate.

On Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate, but insisted that Mohamed bin Salman -- Saudi Arabia’s high-profile crown prince -- had been unaware of a plot to murder the journalist.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected official Saudi narratives of Khashoggi’s demise, claiming to have "strong evidence" that the murder was planned and executed by the Saudi authorities.