US bars 16 people for roles in killing of Jamal Khashoggi

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The US is publicly designating 16 people for their roles in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The designations mean the individuals
named and their immediate family members are not allowed into the United States.The list was released by the US State Department on Monday
and includes Saud al-Qahtani, a former aide to the crown prince, and Maher Mutreb, who was part of the crown prince's entourage on trips
abroad.Image:Jamal Khashoggi wrote for The Washington PostMr Khashoggi wrote critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in columns
for The Washington Post before he was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey in October.After denying any knowledge of Mr
Khashoggi's death for weeks, Saudi authorities eventually settled on the explanation that he was killed in an operation masterminded by
former advisers to Prince Mohammed.The kingdom denies the crown prince had any involvement.The move was made under a State Department
provision that states that, "in cases where the Secretary of State has credible information that officials of foreign governments have been
involved in significant corruption or gross violations of human rights, those individuals and their immediate family members are ineligible
for entry into the United States.More from Jamal Khashoggi"The law requires the Secretary of State to publicly or privately designate such
officials and their immediate family members."Mr Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi rulers, had gone to the consulate to collect
paperwork needed to marry fiancee Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting outside the building for him and raised the alarm when he did not
emerge.Turkey's intelligence agency, along with western counterparts, believe the crown prince planned an operation to kill the writer and
have his body dismembered and removed to an unknown location.Image:Jamal Khashoggi's fiancee Hatice Cengiz raised the alarm when he didn't
leave the consulateThe kingdom initially denied Mr Khashoggi was murdered but - under increasing international condemnation - later changed
its story and admitted the 59-year-old was killed as part of a "rogue operation".The prince, who had been seen as a reformer in the West
for, among other things, allowing women to drive, did not order the killing, Saudi officials insist.In December, Saudi public prosecutors
charged 11 people with carrying out the killing and are seeking the death penalty for five of the suspects.Image:The journalist appeared
relaxed when he walked into the consulate on 2 OctoberThe full list of designated individuals are:Saud al-QahtaniMaher MutrebSalah
TubaigyMeshal AlbostaniNaif AlarifiMohammed AlzahraniMansour AbahussainKhalid AlotaibiAbdulaziz AlhawsawiWaleed AlsehriThaar AlharbiFahad
AlbalawiBadr AlotaibiMustafa AlmadaniSaif AlqahtaniTurki Alsehri