US Defense Sec. calls for probe on Khashoggi murder

By Emre Aytekin

ANKARA

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis on Sunday called on Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir to clarify the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and bring those responsible to justice.

In a meeting with the Saudi foreign minister following the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Mattis urged for a detailed probe.

"We need to know what happened", he said.

"We discussed it. You know the same thing we talked about, the need for transparency, full and complete investigation," he told reporters.

During a speech at the event, Mattis underlined that the journalist's murder posed a threat to regional stability, adding that the State Department could take additional steps.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials last week admitted that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate building.

Turkish police have been investigating the case, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said 18 people arrested in Saudi Arabia over the killing should be sent to Turkey to face trial.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this story from Ankara