Khashoggi, who had been working for The Washington Post newspaper as a columnist and was known for his criticism of Saudi foreign and domestic policy, went missing in Istanbul on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate and never coming out. The incident has created a global outcry.

After denying any knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for two weeks, the Saudi government admitted on Friday that the journalist died in what officials claim was a "fist fight" inside its consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh says 18 people have been arrested for their involvement in the incident. Turkey is conducting a separate investigation into the journalist's death.