Jamal Khashoggi's son Salah 'allowed to leave Saudi Arabia'

The eldest son of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi has reportedly left Saudi Arabia after previously being restricted by a travel ban.

MENA

2 min read

�� & agencies

25 October, 2018

Salah Khashoggi appeared on Saudi state television on Tuesday [Screenshot]

The son of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia on Thursday, a source close to the Khashoggi family told CNN.

Salah Khashoggi, the murdered writer's eldest son, was previously unable to leave Saudi Arabia due to a travel ban that had been imposed on him earlier this year, according to reports.

On Tuesday, the dual US-Saudi citizen was shown on state television receiving condolences from King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Observers say the meeting was likely not voluntary, while others on Twitter highlighted Salah's 'terrified' and 'angry' expression when shaking hands with MbS - who many believe to be behind the killing of Khashoggi.

Khashoggi - a Washington Post contributor and critic of the crown prince - was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

After more than two weeks of vehemently denying Khashoggi was dead and insisting he left the consulate unharmed, the Saudi government on Saturday claimed he was killed in a "fist fight" inside the building, but claimed the murder was not state-sanctioned. On Thursday, Saudi prosecutors changed the kingdom's narrative on events by saying that the killing had been pre-meditated.

Before Riyadh's admission, Turkish sources said a team of 15 Saudi agents were sent to Istanbul and killed Khashoggi before departing from the capital that day.

The hit squad reportedly tortured Khashoggi, cut his fingers off and decapitated him with a bone saw brought from Saudi Arabia for that purpose, according to Turkish media.

Several of the 15-person team have close ties to Saudi Arabia's security services and to the crown prince, including his personal bodyguard Abdulaziz Mohammed al-Hawsawi as well a forensics expert, Salah al-Tubaigy.

Khashoggi was a US resident and had lived in self-imposed exile in Virginia since 2017, shortly after MbS was appointed heir to the Saudi throne.