Saudi prosecutors will seek the death penalty for at least five people over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the kingdom’s state media reported on Thursday as 11 suspects attended their first court hearing.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency and state television gave few details about the hearing and did not name the suspects. However, a statement from prosecutors said the suspects attended the hearing with their lawyers.
The statement also said that prosecutors sent a request to Turkey for evidence that Ankara has collected about the 2 October killing of Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
“No response has been received to date and the public prosecutor’s office is still waiting for an answer,” the statement said.
Officials in Turkey could not be immediately reached for comment. Turkish officials have previously said they shared evidence with Saudi Arabia and other nations about Khashoggi’s killing.
Khashoggi had written columns critical of Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
The kingdom initially denied Khashoggi was killed, but changed its story and acknowledged his killing weeks later.
Turkish media has published pictures of members of the crown prince’s entourage at the consulate before the killing. Khashoggi’s body, believed to have been dismembered after his killing, has not been found.
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