Trump administration urged the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide answers and support a thorough probe into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and prominent critic of his country’s royal family, who was last seen entering the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul, Bloomberg informed.
“We have seen conflicting reports on the safety and whereabouts of the missing man,” Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement on Monday night. “As the President has conveyed, the United States is concerned by his disappearance.”
“We call on the government of Saudi Arabia to support a thorough investigation of Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation,” Pompeo said.
President Donald Trump addressed the mystery earlier on Monday, saying: “I am very concerned about it.”
“Right now, nobody knows anything about it,” the President told reporters on the White House lawn after a trip to Orlando. “But there’s some pretty bad stories going around — I do not like it.”
A Turkish official, speaking anonymously and without giving any evidence, said Khashoggi had been murdered inside the consulate, a claim the Saudi government has vehemently rejected.
“If true, this is a tragic day,” Vice President Mike Pence tweeted late Monday. “Violence against journalists across the globe is a threat to freedom of the press & human rights. The free world deserves answers.”
Trump has sought to cultivate even closer relations with Saudi Arabia, long a key ally in the Middle East. The U.S. president has largely resisted criticizing the Saudi royal family, although he has said in recent months that the kingdom should produce more oil to lower international prices and should contribute more resources to help stabilize Syria.
Several U.S. lawmakers warned that Saudi Arabia could face economic consequences if the kingdom killed the journalist, who has also been a contributor to the Washington Post.
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