France ‘strongly’ condemns killing of Saudi journalist

By Omer Aydin

PARIS (AA) - France on Saturday “strongly” condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

According to a statement issued by French Foreign Ministry, the country is still looking for clarity on the issue.

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

After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.

"Verifying that Khashoggi was killed is the first step towards revealing the truth. Many questions are still unanswered," the statement said.

In order to get answers to the remaining questions, the statement called for a large-scale research and investigation and urged the Saudi administration to make an effort.

The statement also extended condolences to the family of the Saudi journalist.

On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.