US Secretary of State: No evidence Salman ordered journalist's murder

(Patria) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated on Saturday that there is no "direct evidence" linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo's statement to CNN on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires came shortly after the Wall Street Journal reported that the CIA believes Salman sent 11 messages to an advisor who oversaw the murder of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the crown prince, in the hours before and after the murder, media outlets report.
Pompeo told CNN that he had read all the intelligence related to the case in the possession of the US government.

"When you finish the analysis, there is no direct evidence linking (the Crown Prince) to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. That is an accurate statement, it is an important statement, and it is a statement that we are making public today," he emphasized.

The Turkish President told reporters in Buenos Aires that Turkey does not want to harm the Saudi royal family, but that Khashoggi's murder is a test for the entire world, Reuters reports.

He believes that resolving this case and bringing those responsible to justice would be in the interest of the Saudi royal family.