UNITED STATES: Trump says ‘rogue killers’ may be behind Khashoggi disappearance

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday “rogue killers” may have been behind the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ordered an internal investigation into the case. Trump said he had spoken with King Salman about Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi policies, and that he was sending Secretary of […]

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday “rogue killers” may have been behind the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman ordered an internal investigation into the case.

Trump said he had spoken with King Salman about Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi policies, and that he was sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo immediately to meet the king and travel to other places as needed.

“The king firmly denied any knowledge of it,” Trump told reporters. “He didn’t really know, maybe – I don’t want to get into his mind but it sounded to me – maybe these could have been rogue killers. Who knows?”

A Turkish official and a security source told Reuters on Monday that the authorities have an audio recording indicating that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, without providing further details.