Pompeo holds talks with Saudi king on missing Washington Post journalist

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Salka Pai
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Pompeo holds talks with Saudi king on missing Washington Post journalist

Pompeo holds talks with Saudi king on missing Washington Post journalist (Photo- Twitter/@statedeptspox)

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday and held talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud over the disappearance of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the official said.

Pompeo is also scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over dinner on the same issue as the investigation into the missing of prominent journalist intensifies.

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According to reports, Saudi Arabia is preparing to acknowledge that Khashoggi was killed during a botched interrogation by mistake. However, King Salman denied of having knowledge of what happened to the missing journalist.

Pompeo, one of the US top diplomats, was dispatched to the Kingdom by President Donald Trump to seek answers over the disappearance of Khashoggi during a face to face meetings with the Saudi leadership, sources said.

“He (Saudi King Salman) said that they are working closely with Turkey to find answer. I am immediately sending our Secretary of State to meet with King,” US President Donald Trump tweeted.

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Khashoggi, a Saudi national and a US resident, went missing after he walked into his country’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

"Rogue killers" could be to blame for the disappearance of Khashoggi, who has not been seen since he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to sort out marriage paperwork, Trump told reporters after telephone talks with the king.

(With inputs from agencies)

Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Mike Pompeo in Riyadh Saudi King Salman Journalist Jamal Khashoggi