Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday met with family members of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Riyadh, AFP reported, citing state media.
The Saudi rulers met with Khashoggi’s son Salah and brother Sahel at the royal palace, according to the state-run news agency SPA.
The report said King Salman and Prince Mohammed offered their condolences to the family of the Saudi journalist.
Khashoggi has been missing since October 2, when he was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Turkish government has accused Saudi Arabia of murdering the dissident journalist and chopping his body into pieces.
Saudi Arabia admitted for the first time on Friday that Khashoggi was killed after entering the consulate in Istanbul, after previously denying Turkish claims that he was murdered.
Khashoggi was a fierce critic of the Crown Prince, who denied in a conversation with US President Donald Trump that he was responsible for Khashoggi’s death.
“He says he is not involved nor is the king,” Trump said on Monday of the Saudi Crown Prince, declining to answer in an interview with USA Today whether he believed his denials. If their involvement was proven, “I would be very upset about it. We’ll have to see.”
Khashoggi lived in self-imposed exile in Virginia since 2017, shortly after the powerful Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the throne.