Turkey to demand extradition of 18 Saudi suspects

Turkey will officially demand from Saudi Arabia the extradition of 18 suspects in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkish Justice Ministry said on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry said Istanbul prosecutors have prepared a requisition for 18 suspects on charges of planned and deliberate murder with monstrosity and torture.

The ministry referred the extradition request for the suspects - all of whom are Saudi nationals - to Turkish Foreign Ministry, the statement said.

Turkey’s Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül also told reporters that he expects that the extradition will be carried out as the murder occurred in Turkey.

“Turkish authorities are both determined and competent to shed light on this case,” Gül said.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials last week admitted that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate building.

Turkish police have been investigating the case, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said 18 people arrested in Saudi Arabia over the killing should be sent to Turkey to face the trial.