Death penalty sought for 5 suspects in Jamal Khashoggi killing

Saudi prosecutors on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for five Saudis linked to the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Eleven suspects attended their first court hearing in Riyadh, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. Lawyers for the defendants requested copies of the indictment and sought more time to respond to the charges, the agency said.

Prosecutors also said they had sent two letters last month to the Turkish authorities seeking any evidence connected to this case. Turkey has said it is willing to share information in the case.

“No response has been received to date and the Public Prosecutor’s Office is still waiting for an answer,” the Saudi prosecutors said in a statement.

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More:Jamal Khashoggi, journalists named TIME's 2018 Person of the Year

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, was a frequent critic of the Saudi royal family, He died Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain paperwork for his upcoming marriage. His subsequent disappearance directed severe scrutiny on the kingdom.

The Saudis initially claimed Khashoggi, 59, left the consulate that day, and security footage shows someone wearing his clothes walking away. For weeks Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of Khashoggi's fate.

The Saudis ultimately revised the story, saying Khashoggi died after a fight broke out during his interrogation. A Saudi prosecutor said more than a dozen people had been arrested in the incident. But Saudi leaders have rejected Turkish claims that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman either ordered or had advanced knowledge of the killing.

Khashoggi's body, which Turkish officials have said was dismembered the day he died, has not been found.

President Trump has refused to come down hard on Saudi Arabia over the killing, citing the kingdom's close political and economic ties to the U.S.

"It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn't!" Trump said. 

Last month, Khashoggi joined the Capital Gazette newsroom and three other journalists named as TIME magazine's 2018 Person of the Year.