ISTANBUL–20 people have been charged in the murder of Washington Post journalist and Indiana State graduate Jamaal Khashoggi.

Turkish prosecutors accuse Saudi Arabia’s deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Assiri and the royal court’s media czar Saud al-Qahtani of leading an operation against Khashoggi.

18 other suspects were also charged. Among those 18 charged are an intelligence operative, a forensic expert, and a member of the Saudi royal guard. They face life in jail if convicted.

Arrest warrants have been issued for the suspects, who are not in Turkey.

The CIA, a UN special envoy, and Ankara all say they directly linked the Saudi crown prince to Khashoggi’s murder, but the prince denies that accusation.

Investigators say Khashoggi was strangled and his body was cut into pieces by a 15-man Saudi squad inside the Saudi consulate in October 2018. They believe he was there to obtain paperwork for his wedding to his Turkish fiancee. His remains have not been found.

Khashoggi, 59, received his elementary and secondary education in Saudi Arabia and obtained a BBA degree from Indiana State University in 1982.

 

photo April Brady / POMED / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)