The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on 17 Saudi Arabian citizens for their roles in the killing of a Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khashoggi was reportedly murdered at the Consulate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul, Turkey, on 2 October.
“As a result of this action, all of these individuals’ assets within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them,” US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said.
“At the time of Khashoggi’s killing, these individuals occupied positions in the Royal Court and several ministries and offices of the Government of Saudi Arabia.”
The list of the sanctioned individuals included Saud al-Qahtani, Maher Mutreb, Salah Tubaigy, Meshal Albostani, Naif Alarifi, Mohammed Alzahrani, Mansour Abahussain, Khalid Alotaibi, and Abdulaziz Alhawsawi.
Others were Waleed Alsehri, Thaar Alharbi, Fahad Albalawi, Badr Alotaibi, Mustafa Almadani, Saif Alqahtani, Turki Alsehri, and Mohammed Alotaibi.
Pompeo said: “Our action today is an important step in responding to Khashoggi’s killing.
“The State Department will continue to seek all relevant facts, consult Congress, and work with other nations to hold accountable those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.”