Saudi monarch to go on second domestic tour of kingdom

By Hussein Mahmoud

RIYADH (AA) - Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz is set to begin his second domestic tour since assuming the throne in 2015.

The Saudi Press Agency reported Tuesday that the upcoming tour -- slated to begin sometime next week -- was aimed at "inspecting the conditions faced by citizens and inaugurating a number of development projects”.

In a first tour last week, King Salman visited Saudi Arabia’s Hail and Qassim provinces, during which he presided over the inauguration of several projects.

In his upcoming tour next week, he is expected to visit the kingdom’s northwestern Tabuk region.

The tours come at a time when Saudi Arabia is facing an unprecedented crisis over the murder early last month of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, was killed on Oct. 2 inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

After weeks of denying involvement, the kingdom admitted Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate but claimed the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of any plot to murder the journalist.

So far, 18 people -- including security officers -- have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder.