A man holds a poster of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest organized by members of the Turkish-Arabic Media Association at the entrance to Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey/Getty Images
A Saudi Arabia public prosecutor indicted 11 suspects following the killing of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, according to the Associated Press. The prosecutor also requested the death penalty for five of the suspects, according to the AP.
On Thursday, a spokesman for the public prosecutor delivered information about the case to members of the press in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, according to The New York Times. The spokesman said a 15-man team that confronted Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate was expected to return the former Washington Post columnist to the kingdom. However, the team refused to follow the orders and decided to kill him and dismember him, according to the spokesperson, reported by the Times.
According to the Times, the Thursday announcement contradicted statements made by both the Saudi government and White House officials regarding Khashoggi’s killing.
As the Times reported, the Saudi prosecutor’s explanation appeared to peddle back to the government’s previous stance — saying Thursday the killing was spur of the moment and that the operation set out to only question Khashoggi. That differs from what the Saudi government eventually conceded in October: that the killing did appear to be premeditated — something U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo credited the Saudis for saying publicly.
Earlier in the week Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that Canadian intelligence officers heard a Turkish audio recording of the former journalist’s murder. With his Monday announcement, Trudeau became the first western leader to acknowledge the existence of tapes, though he said he did not personally listen to them. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shared the tapes with several countries.
Khashoggi went missing on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. He was not seen since. After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, the Saudi government said in October that it believed Khashoggi was murdered.
Power Women Summit 2018 Portraits, From Barbara Boxer to Zoe Saldana (Photos)
Actress Mira Sorvino
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress Zoe Saldana
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Zoe Saldana
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress Zoe Saldana and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Dolores Huerta
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Law professor Anita Hill
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Law professor Anita Hill and filmmaker Freida Lee Mock
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Women of #MeToo: Jessica Barth, Larissa Gomes, Dawn Dunning, Chantal Cousineau, Sarah Anne Masse, Melissa Schuman, Rosanna Arquette, Melissa Sagemiller, Louise Godbold, Louisette Geiss; (seated) Molly Maeve, Katherine Kendall, Kathryn Rossetter and Anna Graham Hunter
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Artists Allie and Lexi Kaplan
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
The Kaplan Twins
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress Arielle Kebbel
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Arielle Kebbel
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actor David Oyelowo
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress and activist Rosanna Arquette
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Former Kardashian assistant Stephanie Shepherd
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress Alysia Reiner
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Vice Media executive Ariel Wengroff
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Mitú co-founder Beatriz Acevedo
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Betsy West and Julie Cohen, co-directors of the documentary "RBG"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
March for Our Lives activist Bria Smith
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
ESPN reporter Cari Champion
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Christine Simmons, president of the Los Angeles Sparks
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Christine Simmons, president of the Los Angeles Sparks
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Former Glamour editor-in-chief Cindi Leive
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress Trace Lysette
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, HAIM
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, HAIM
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Olympic gold medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
U.S. sabre fencer and Olympic gold medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and Los Angeles Sparks President Christine Simmons
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress Melanie Liburd
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Acrress Melanie Liburd
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress Melanie Liburd
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actress Illeana Douglas
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Gun violence activists Jaclyn Corin and Bria Smith
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Anti-gun activist Jaclyn Corin
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Gun violence activists Jaclyn Corin and Bria Smith
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Producer Jessica Sanders and filmmaker Freida Lee Mock
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
"Transparent" creator Jill Soloway
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Journalist and former USA Today editor-in-chief Joanne Lipman
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Film producer Kimberly Steward
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Film producer Cassian Elwes
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Vice Media CEO Nancy Dubuc
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Former U.S. senator Barbara Boxer
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Filmmaker Nicole Boxer and former U.S. senator Barbara Boxer
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Filmmaker Nicole Boxer
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
TriStar Pictures EVP Nicole Brown
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Producer and Warner Bros. SVP Niija Kuykendall
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Director-producer Pamela B. Green
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
"Steven Universe" creator Rebecca Sugar
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
CAA agent Chris Andrews
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Actresses and Harvey Weinstein accusers Sarah Ann Masse and Louisette Geiss
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Film producer Scott Budnick
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Film producer Stephanie Allain
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Sue Obeidi, Muslim Public Affairs Council
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Lifetime EVP Tanya Lopez
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
#MeToo movement founder Tarana Burke
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Lawyer and Times Up Legal Defense Fund head Tina Tchen
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Meghan Quinn, Artist and Photographer
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Jessica Sanders, Director, Writer, and Producer
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Crystal Patterson, Global Civic Partnerships Manager Facebook
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
Lela Lee, Creator of "Angry Little Asian Girl" and Attendee Pauline Sanders, "Power Women Summit"
Photographed by Elisabeth Caren for TheWrap
1 of 62
Mira Sorvino, Anita Hill, HAIM, David Oyelowo, Rosanna Arquette, Nancy Dubuc, Jill Soloway and more participated in TheWrap’s inaugural event