US says Friday allegations were premature and inaccurate

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said his administration will get a full report in the next two days about the death of a Saudi journalist, which has created a diplomatic conundrum for the president: how to admonish Riyadh for the killing yet maintain strong ties with a close ally in the Middle East.

Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, was slain on Oct 2 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul while collecting paperwork for his upcoming wedding.

The CIA has concluded that the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the killing, US media quoted insiders on Friday as saying.

Others familiar with the case caution that while it's likely that the crown prince was involved in the death, there continue to be questions about what role he played.

However, Trump said the CIA has not "assessed anything yet".

"It's too early. That was a very premature report. But that's possible - we're going to see," he said. "But we're going to have a report on Tuesday. And it'll be very complete."

"We're going to come up with a report as to what we think the overall impact was and who caused it, and who did it."

The US State Department also sought to row back on Friday's media report regarding the crown prince's involvement.

"The United States government is determined to hold all those responsible for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable," the State Department said in a statement. "Recent reports indicating that the US government has made a final conclusion are inaccurate. There remain numerous unanswered questions with respect to the murder of Mr. Khashoggi."

The statement added: "The US government has taken decisive measures against the individuals responsible, including visa and sanctions actions. We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those accountable who planned, led and were connected to the murder. And, we will do that while maintaining the important strategic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia."

Intelligence officials have been providing information to Trump about the death for weeks and he was briefed again by phone on Saturday by CIA Director Gina Haspel and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he flew to California to visit areas of the state hit by deadly wildfires.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders provided no details of his call but said the president has confidence in the CIA.

Before his call on Air Force One, Trump told reporters that when it came to the crown prince, "as of this moment we were told that he did not play a role. We're going to have to find out what they have to say."

That echoed remarks by national security adviser John Bolton, who said earlier this week that people who have listened to an audio recording of the killing do not think it implicates the crown prince.

Also before leaving on his trip, Trump said Saudi Arabia was "a truly spectacular ally in terms of jobs and economic development".

"I have to take a lot of things into consideration" when deciding what measures to take against the kingdom, he said.

AP - Xinhua