France, Germany and UK issue joint statement calling for probe into missing Saudi journalist

France, Germany and the U.K. on Sunday issued a joint statement calling for a “credible” probe into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in the statement encouraged the ongoing investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance by Saudi and Turkish officials. 

{mosads}”We encourage joint Saudi-Turkish efforts … and expect the Saudi Government to provide a complete and detailed response,” the foreign officials wrote.

“We have conveyed this message directly to the Saudi authorities,” they added.

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and he has not been heard from since. Turkish officials say he was murdered by a team of Saudis acting on the government’s orders. 

The State Department several days ago said it still does not have information about his whereabouts. 

U.S. lawmakers have come together in condemning Saudi leadership over Khashoggi’s alleged murder, saying it could tarnish the reciprocal relationship between the two countries. 

Khashoggi contributed to The Washington Post’s opinions section, sometimes writing critically of the Saudi government. U.S. intelligence has reportedly shown that Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was planning to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia in order to detain him.

Saudi Arabia has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance, while Turkish authorities say they have unreleased video and audio that proves the journalist was killed by Saudi officials in the consulate. 

President Trump, who has maintained close ties with Saudi Arabia, has not directly blamed the kingdom for Khashoggi’s disappearance, saying there needs to be an investigation. 

Lawmakers have been scrutinizing the U.S.-Saudi relationship for some time over the U.S. backing Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the Yemeni civil war, which has resulted in thousands of civilian deaths. Multiple investigations have found U.S.-supplied weapons were behind some of the largest civilian attacks by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, including one that resulted in the deaths of more than 40 children.