“There were no orders for them to kill him or even specifically kidnap him," said a Saudi official familiar with the investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported on Saturday.
READ MORE: Washington Post Columnist Jamal Khashoggi Died in Istanbul — Saudi State Media
“Mohammed bin Salman had no knowledge of this specific operation and certainly did not order a kidnapping or murder of anybody. He will have been aware of the general instruction to tell people to come back,” the source added.
On Friday the Saudi prosecutor general announced on state television that the preliminary conclusion about the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was that a fight broke out between him and people who met him in the Saudi Consulate. Khashoggi reportedly never left the consulate after entering it on October 2 to obtain papers necessary for his upcoming marriage.
The White House has responded to the announcement by saying that it acknowledges the Saudi statement on the journalist's fate, adding that it is "saddened" to hear that Khashoggi is dead.