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A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 16 November 2018

Saudi prosecutor seeks death penalty in Khashoggi killing

By AYA BATRAWY be put on trial in Turkey.
Associated Press The death of Khashoggi,
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- a Washington Post colum-
ates (AP) — Saudi Arabia's nist who had been criti-
top prosecutor said Thurs- cal of the crown prince,
day he would seek the sent shock waves around
death penalty for five men the world and led analysts
charged with the killing of and officials to believe a
journalist Jamal Khashoggi sensitive operation of this
in Turkey, while the United magnitude could not have
States moved to sanction been carried out without
17 Saudi officials it said the prince's knowledge.
were involved in the slay- Hours after the prosecutor's
ing. announcement, Saudi For-
The Saudi announcement eign Minister Adel al-Jubeir
appeared aimed at dis- told reporters the crown
tancing the killers and their prince had nothing to do
operation from the king- with the killing.
dom's leadership, including "His royal highness the
Crown Prince Mohammed crown prince has nothing
bin Salman, amid a glob- to do with this issue," he
al outcry over the writer's said.
death. Al-Jubeir said the kingdom
Also on Thursday, Saudi is investigating and hold-
Arabia's foreign minister In this Friday, Nov. 2, 2018 file photo, a video image of Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of slain Saudi ing those responsible to
journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is played during an event to remember Khashoggi, who was killed
said the crown prince had inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, in Washington. account "to make sure this
"absolutely" nothing to do Associated Press doesn't happen again."
with Khashoggi's death. "Sometimes mistakes hap-
The U.S. Treasury Depart- but stopped short of ac- saw that he would not be laborator. The body has not pen ... sometimes people
ment, meanwhile, an- cusing them of ordering able to force Khashoggi to been found. exceed their authority," he
nounced it was imposing Khashoggi's killing. Those return, "so he decided to kill It's not unusual for a Saudi said.Through a series of or-
sanctions on 17 Saudi of- closest to the prince are in- him in the moment." prosecutor to announce chestrated leaks, including
ficials who it said were re- stead accused of ordering This appears to contradict he would seek the death audio of the killing shared
sponsible for or complicit Khashoggi's forced return in a previous Saudi statement penalty before a trial. with Western intelligence,
in the killing. Among those an operation that the Sau- quoting Turkish intelligence The latest Saudi account Turkey has tried to keep
targeted for sanctions are dis allege went awry. as saying the killing had failed to appease officials pressure on the crown
Saud al-Qahtani, who was In a news conference, been premeditated. in Turkey, who insist the kill- prince, who sees Turkey as
one of the crown prince's Sheikh Shalan al-Shalan, Chief prosecutor Saud Al- ing and its cover-up were a regional rival.
closest aides, and Moham- the deputy attorney gen- Mojeb said that of the 21 carried out by the highest Turkey alleges that among
med al-Otaibi, the diplo- eral, said the killing was people in custody, 11 have levels of government. those sent to Istanbul was a
mat in charge of the Saudi ordered by an individual been indicted and referred "We did not find some of his forensics expert.
Consulate in Istanbul where whom he did not identify to trial, and that he would explanations to be satisfac- In an apparent reference
Khashoggi was killed Oct. but said was responsible for seek the death penalty tory," Turkey's Foreign Minis- this specialist, al-Shalan
2. Also named is Maher negotiating Khashoggi's re- against five of the suspects. ter Mevlut Cavusoglu said said the organizer of the
Mutreb, who was part of turn back to Saudi Arabia Khashoggi's killers set their after the Saudi announce- operation called on a
the crown prince's entou- from Istanbul. The individual plans in motion on Sept. 29, ment. specialist to be part of the
rage on trips abroad. was part of a 15-man team the prosecutor said, add- "Those who gave the order, team to erase evidence if
With the kingdom fac- that was made up of nego- ing that the killers drugged the real perpetrators need Khashoggi needed to be
ing mounting internation- tiators, intelligence officers and killed the writer in the to be revealed. This process forcibly returned to Saudi
al pressure, prosecutors and logistics officials. consulate before dismem- cannot be closed down in Arabia. Prosecutors said
have pointed the finger Al-Shalan said that on the bering the body and hand- this way," he added. this specialist was working
at some members of the morning of Oct. 2, the lead- ing it over for disposal by The Turkish government is without the direct knowl-
crown prince's inner circle er of the negotiating team an unidentified local col- demanding the suspects edge of his boss.q

Morocco unveils Africa's first ever high speed train line

By AMIRA EL MASAITI ers boarded the train in Tangier and the remaining 21 percent 6 million passengers on the line in
Associated Press after they were handed tickets by was provided by Saudi Arabia, the first three years of operation.
RABAT, Morocco (AP) — French Director General of the National Kuwait and the United Arab Emir- While the Moroccan government
President Emmanuel Macron and Railway Office Mohamed Rabie ates. and businesses praised the proj-
Morocco's King Mohammed VI Khlie, according to State agency Macron's office said the Moroc- ect as a key achievement in de-
have inaugurated Morocco's first MAP. can line is an international show- veloping the country's infrastruc-
high-speed rail line, the first ever They were expected to reach the case for the French-made high- ture, the line has sparked contro-
such line in Africa. country's capital, Rabat, 1 hour speed train. Morocco bought 12 versy for its high cost.
Known as the LGV, it will connect and 15 minutes later. such trains from French manufac- Critics say that Morocco should
the economic hubs of Tangier The $2 billion project was turer Alstom. be investing in education and
and Casablanca in 2 hours 10 launched in September 2011 by The king named the first line Al Bo- health instead.
minutes at a speed of up to 320 the king and Nicolas Sarkozy, raq after a mythical winged crea- The criticism gained strength mid-
kph (199 mph) instead of almost 5 then president of France. ture that transported the proph- October when a train derailed,
hours on a regular train. France financed 51 percent of ets to the heavens. killing seven people and injuring
The Moroccan and French lead- the project, Morocco 28 percent Morocco's railway office expects more than 100.q