Turkish Attorney General issues warrant to arrest Saudi officials

The prosecutor’s office in Istanbul on Wednesday issued a decision to arrest two former Saudi officials believed to be among the key figures who planned to assassinate Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his consulate in Turkey.

The two senior officials arrested on the warrant were former deputy head of Saudi intelligence Ahmad Asiri and former adviser Saud Al Qahtani, according to the Anatolia news agency.

The two former officials were removed from their positions in Saudi Arabia following Khashoggi’s case.

Turkish media quoted the Turkish Attorney-General as saying that “the charge of Asiri and Al Qahtani is murder with torture brutally planning ahead”.

Turkish news agency Reuters quoted Turkish officials as saying the Istanbul prosecutor’s office believed there was “strong suspicion” that Asiri and Al Qahtani were involved in planning Khashoggi’s murder.

“Saudi Arabia can calm international fears by handing over to Turkey all the suspects in Khashoggi’s killing”, the source said.

“The move by the prosecutor’s office reflects his conviction that the Saudi authorities will not take formal action against Asiri and Al Qahtani”, he said.

This comes as pressure mounts on Saudi Arabia over the killing of journalist Khashoggi, without providing a more “credible” account of his death and causes, and bringing all those involved in the assassination, according to European and American statements.

The international outrage is that Khashoggi’s case is a “flagrant violation” of article 55 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, which states that “consular buildings may not be used in any way contrary to the exercise of consular functions”, according to EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.