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Saudi Arabia acknowledged for the first time on Friday evening that journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in its consulate in Istanbul, and said 18 Saudi citizens have been arrested, according to an initial investigation by the Saudi government.
In an announcement made early Saturday in Riyadh, the Saudi general prosecutor also claimed that Khashoggi, who was critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was involved in a "quarrel and fighting by hand" which led to his death.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed in a statement that Khashoggi died when a "suspect" attempted to take Khashoggi from Istanbul to Saudi Arabia.
"The suspect traveled to Istanbul to meet with Jamal Khashoggi after indications appeared the possibility of returning Jamal Khashoggi to the country," the ministry said.
It said "discussions" between "suspects" and Khashoggi "did not go as required and escalated negatively" and led to a fight that ended in the journalist's death. it said those involved attempted to "conceal what happened and to cover it up."
The statement by the state Saudi Press Agency comes amid a firestorm of criticism of the Saudi crown prince, along with U.S. President Donald Trump’s response to the crisis.
Saudis admit that Khashoggi is dead
Oct. 19, 201801:26Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2 after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The government also announced that Saudi King Salman directed his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to lead the restructuring of the intelligence service and that the deputy president of intelligence, Ahmed Bin Hassan Bin Mohamed Assiri, was fired. Royal Court adviser Saud bin Abdullah Al Qahtani was also fired.
Several other top intelligence officials also were dismissed: Mohamed bin Saleh al Rumeh, assistant to the president of general intelligence for intelligence affairs; Abduallah bin Khalifa al Shaya, assistant to the president of general intelligence for human resources; and Rachad bin Hamed al Muhamadi, director of the general department for security and protection in the command of general intelligence.
The Washington Post’s editorial page has demanded a full accounting of what happened to Khashoggi, and in an editorial published on Friday accused Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of “conspiring with the Saudi leadership, buying time for them to construct a cover story that will deflect a wave of international outrage and discourage Congress from sanctioning the regime."
A source with knowledge of the Saudis’ plans says the government will likely release more information in the coming days about the chain of events leading up to his death and what exactly happened, beyond merely saying there was a fistfight.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Friday that the U.S. acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s announcement and was following developments.
"We will continue to closely follow the international investigations into this tragic incident and advocate for justice that is timely, transparent, and in accordance with all due process,” the White House statement said. "We are saddened to hear confirmation of Mr. Khashoggi’s death, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family, fiancée, and friends."
The Saudi confirmation marks a full reversal from the Saudi government’s repeated and vehement denials that anything had happened to Khashoggi in the consulate.
On Oct. 6, four days after Khashoggi entered the consulate and disappeared, the Saudis released a statement from the consul general in Istanbul that said: “I would like to confirm that Jamal is not at the consulate nor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the consulate and the embassy are working to search for him.”
That same day, the Saudi Embassy in Washington released a statement that “dismissed the report by the media, which cited Turkish officials, that Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Consulate in Istanbul."
And less than a week ago, on Oct. 13, the Saudis issued a statement condemning the "false accusations circulated in media reports on the Saudi government and other people in the purported relation to the disappearance of Saudi citizen, Jamal Khashoggi."
Multiple government officials told NBC News Thursday that U.S. intelligence agencies investigating the journalist's killing believe it's inconceivable that the crown prince had no connection to his death, but still have no "smoking gun" evidence that he ordered Khashoggi killed.
Pompeo traveled to Riyadh this week and met with King Salman and the crown prince to discuss Khashoggi's disappearance.
Pompeo said Saudi Arabia pledged to hold senior officials accountable if they are implicated in the disappearance and now-confirmed killing of Khashoggi.
Since Khashoggi’s disappearance, Trump has highlighted an arms deal with Saudi Arabia and told the Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that there should not be a rush to judgment, saying, "I think we have to find out what happened first” and "here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent."
Trump told reporters Thursday it was likely the journalist was dead.
"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump said. Trump also said that while he was awaiting results of a Saudi investigation, "I think we'll be making a statement, a very strong statement.
Trump said Friday before the Saudi announcement that he might consider sanctions against Saudi Arabia, and he would involve Congress in any decision.
He said then that it was "too early" to determine potential consequences, but that he expected to know more by Monday, according to the Associated Press.
"We're going to find out who knew what when and where and we'll figure it out," Trump said.