Saudi court sentences 5 to death in murder of Jamal Khashoggi

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Saudi public prosecutor's office on Monday announced the sentencing of five men directly involved in Khashoggi's murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, while another three received a total of 24 years in prison for covering up the crime and other offenses, The New York Times reports.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, was killed by Saudi agents in 2018 after arriving at the Saudi consulate to pick up marriage paperwork. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has denied ordering the killing, but a CIA assessment concluded he did.

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The names of the suspects in the secret trial have not been released. The public prosecutor's office said Monday a top aide to the crown prince who the United States sanctioned, Saud al-Qahtani, was not tried due to a lack of evidence. The Washington Post reports the prosecutor's office says another senior aide, Ahmed al-Assiri, was exonerated as well.