Turkey said on Thursday that Interpol had issued red notices – asking police worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition – for 20 people regarding the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The justice ministry said it had requested red notices for 18 people on November 15 and for two more on December 21. They were issued on March 1.
Interpol was not immediately available for comment.
TRT World’s Yusuf Erim explains why Ankara has been pushing Saudi officials for more transparency in the Khashoggi killing.
Notices issued for top officials
Notices were reportedly issued for Ahmed al Asiri, the former deputy intelligence chief, and Saud al Qahtani, an advisor to Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Qahtani, once a close aide to the crown prince, was fired from his post and sanctioned by the US Treasury Department for helping to mastermind the plot that led to Khashoggi’s killing.
According to the justice ministry, 15 of the notices were issued for the execution team while three are for consulate employees.
The Saudi crown prince, also the kingdom’s defence minister, has denied accusations of ordering the hit against Khashoggi, a royal insider turned critic.
Rogue agents
Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
Saudi Arabia initially said it had no knowledge of his fate.
It has since blamed rogue agents for Khashoggi’s death and the kingdom’s public prosecutor has charged several people over his murder.
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