By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON (AA) – A small group of protestors gathered Friday in front of the of Saudi Arabian Embassy to demonstrate the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Demonstrators demanded answers from the Saudi government while holding signs and pictures of Khashoggi. They also called on the kingdom's authorities to end human rights violations.
"Hey bin Salman, what do you say? How many journalists have you killed today?" the crowd chanted, referring to Saudi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Shortly after the protest began, the U.S. Secret Service arrived and closed off protesters with police tape.
The fate of Khashoggi, who is a columnist for The Washington Post and Saudi national, has yet to be revealed by Saudi authorities. Speculation that he was killed continues to grow.
He has been missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
On the same day, 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was also inside, Turkish police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
"The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia feels that he can be a gangster in this type of atmosphere and this is unacceptable," said protester Ashraf Nubani.
There was a sense of unease among demonstrators as many feared they were not safe protesting so close to the embassy.
"We know that people should be worried. And you know I don't trust anyone going inside this embassy and coming back safe," said protest organizer Osama Abu Irshaid.