WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2019) US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said in a statement on Monday that the Saudi court's verdict in connection to the death of columnist Jamal Khashoggi is a continuation of Riyadh's effort to distance its leadership from the issue.
"This sentence is a continuation of the Kingdom's effort to distance Saudi leadership, including the Crown Prince, from the brutal assassination of a journalist and US resident, Jamal Khashoggi," Schiff said via Twitter.
Earlier on Monday, a Saudi court sentenced five people to death and jailed another three for a total of 24 years over their involvement in the murder of Kashoggi, who went missing in October 2018 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Riyadh initially denied having any knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts but eventually admitted that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the embassy. The remaining three high officials of the 11 people put on trial were acquitted.
Schiff claimed the killing of Kashoggi was a premeditated murder, not a sudden decision or rogue operation.
The Saudi royal family has denied any role in the columnist's death, saying he was killed in a rogue operation.
