Germany's Merkel casts doubt on Saudi narrative of Khashoggi murder

Germany's chancellor has said she does not believe Saudi Arabia's explanation of the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after the kingdom finally admitted he was murdered in its Istanbul consulate.

Angela Merkel made the comments on Saturday at a regional convention of her Christian Democratic Union party, German news agency DPA reported.

"The horrific events in Saudi Arabia still haven’t been cleared up and of course we demand that they be cleared up," Merkel said.

The leader said Khashoggi's murder was a warning that democratic freedoms are under assault across the globe.

Also on Saturday, Germany's Social Democratic Party called for a ban on arms sales to Riyadh over Khashoggi's murder, DPA reported.

The statements come after Saudi officials acknowledged Saturday that the critical journalist was killed in a "fistfight" in its Istanbul consulate.

Riyadh also announced the arrest of 18 Saudis and the sacking of two top aides of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as part of its probe into the killing.

The move has been widely seen as an attempt to scapegoat the officials and cover up Prince Mohammed's likely role in Khashoggi's murder.

Germany has joined other nations in calling for a credible investigation into Khashoggi's death.

Berlin has long-standing economic ties with Riyadh that include significant arms shipments.

According to official figures, the German government has authorised arms exports worth $291 million to Saudi Arabia since March.

The United Nations describes the Yemen conflict as the worst in the world: it has led to a humanitarian catastrophe, with three-quarters of the population dependent on aid and 7 million not having enough to eat.