The State Department has insisted that despite recent reports by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the U.S. had not yet reached a determination regarding the death of writer and activist Jamal Khashoggi.
The State Department also said that there were “numerous unanswered questions.”
US President Donald Trump has said that his administration will release a full report in two days about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal
Trump told reporters on Saturday that the report will include information on “who did it”.
“We’ll be having a very full report over the next two days, probably Monday or Tuesday,” he said.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was murdered at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2 after he went there to obtain marriage documents.
Turkish and Saudi authorities say Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate by a team from the kingdom, but they disagree on whether the murder was premeditated.
The whereabouts of his remains are still unknown.
The CIA has concluded that the crown prince, also known as MBS, ordered the killing of Khashoggi, according to reports in the US media in recent days.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly changed its narrative of the killing, first denying knowledge of the journalist’s whereabouts and later saying he was killed when an argument turned into a fistfight.
“The United States government is determined to hold all those responsible for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable. Recent reports indicating that the U.S. government has made a final conclusion are inaccurate.
“There remain numerous unanswered questions with respect to the murder of Mr. Khashoggi. The State Department will continue to seek all relevant facts,” State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.
Separately, a U.S. government official told Fox News that no final assessment or conclusion has been reached, nor has a “smoking gun” been found.
Separately, a government official told Fox News on Friday that the Khashoggi assessment was not a public document and was not aware of plans to make it public.
The official said the intelligence has been briefed at very senior levels.
Khashoggi was killed last month in the Saudi Consulate in Turkey; Saudi Arabia previously claimed that he was killed in a fight.
President Trump, while aboard Air Force One on Saturday, spoke on the phone with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and CIA Director Gina Haspel, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
Before he left he spoke to reporters about the Khashoggi story, telling them that when it came to the crown prince, “as of this moment we were told that he did not play a role.
“We’re going to have to find out what they have to say.”
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