Saudi Crown Prince Vows Khashoggi Justice in Defiant Speech

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said he would bring to justice the killers of government critic Jamal Khashoggi and prevent a permanent breach with Turkey in a defiant speech that signaled confidence in his authority even as international outrage refuses to abate.

In his first public comments since Saudi Arabia acknowledged the death of the Washington Post columnist, 33-year-old Prince Mohammed bin Salman called the killing a “heinous crime” but offered no new information on what happened. He also acknowledged the resilience of Qatar’s “strong economy” in a surprising shift of tone for the man who has spent more than a year enforcing an embargo against the small gas-rich emirate.

Dampening speculation he could be pushed aside in the succession, the prince appeared relaxed, ebullient and conciliatory towards Turkey, which has stopped just short of blaming him for the killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

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