Khashoggi’s murder: Turkey seeks arrest of Saudi crown prince aides

ISTANBUL: A Turkish court issued arrest warrants on Wednesday for two suspects close to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed-bin-Salman over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, increasing pressure on the kingdom’s de facto leader.

The chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul filed an application on Tuesday to obtain the warrants for Ahmad al-Assiri and Saud al-Qahtani, described in court documents as being "among the planners" of Khashoggi’s grisly killing.

Then on Wednesday, an Istanbul court issued the arrest warrants for Assiri and Qahtani on the charge of "deliberately killing (someone) with monstrous feeling or causing torment", according to state news agency Anadolu.

Assiri, the former deputy head of general intelligence, often sat in during Prince Mohammed’s closed-door meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. Qahtani was a key counsellor to the crown prince.

Both were sacked after Riyadh admitted Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate. Saudi Arabia has sought to distance Prince Mohammed from the murder and has received support from US President Donald Trump. His administration has downplayed possible links between the crown prince and what happened to Khashoggi.

But two key senators from Trump’s own Republican party said on Tuesday that a briefing by the CIA’s director had strengthened their conviction that Prince Mohammed directed the murder.

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said however he had "zero question in my mind" that Prince Mohammed directed the killing after an hour-long briefing to a small group of senators by CIA director Gina Haspel. Trump ally and fellow Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the "crazy" crown prince was "complicit in the murder of Mr Khashoggi to the highest level possible".