Turkey wants 18 Saudis extradited

AFP, Istanbul :
Turkey yesterday said it wanted 18 Saudis extradited over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara still had more evidence to reveal in the case.
The announcement came a day after the Saudi prosecutor said that based on evidence supplied by Turkey the murder appeared to have been premeditated-the first time Saudi authorities had made such an admission.
In a speech in Ankara, Erdogan said Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor would visit Istanbul on Sunday to speak to Turkish authorities as part of the investigation.
Saudi authorities earlier arrested 18 men wanted by Ankara following an international furore over the death of Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and critic of Saudi policies, who was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
The killing has tainted the image of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has positioned himself as a Saudi reformer, and tested ties between Washington and Riyadh as Western powers demand answers over Khashoggi’s death.
A written request for the extradition of the 18 suspects had been prepared by Istanbul’s chief prosecutor. “It is clear that the judicial system in Turkey is better equipped to genuinely serve the cause of justice in this case,” a senior Turkish official said.