US gives Saudi Arabia 'few more days' for Khashoggi answers

Saudi Arabia has been given "a few more days" to provide answers about the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing after visiting the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago.

Riyadh was reportedly given a 72-hour deadline to conduct a probe into the Khashoggi case, after news of the Washington Post columnist's murder sparked international outrage.

In an effort to check the flames sparked by reports of Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement in the killing of the columnist, US President Donald Trump dispatched his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to Riyadh.

The most likely explanation the Saudi leadership will give is that rogue agents carried out the murder - a narrative promoted by Trump - but believe the sceptical response about this story already has perhaps forced Riyadh to re-think this account.

Returning from trips to Riyadh and Ankara, Pompeo said Saudi Arabia would be given a little more time to conduct their probe.

"I told President Trump this morning we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi," Pompeo told reporters.

He also assured journalists that Saudi Arabia "will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all the facts".

This will not be enough to quell the anger of the media, who have been disgusted that one of their colleagues could be murdered in such a brutal way.
 
The Trump administration has faced criticism from US dailies, such as the Washington Post and New York Times, for being too soft on the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Turkish intelligence said this week it possessed audio and video tapes of Khashoggi's murder, claiming he was tortured before being brutally killed.

Agencies contributed to this story.