Saudi crown prince says Khashoggi death 'heinous crime

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (3rd L, Front) talks with Senegalese President Macky Sall (2nd L, Front) at Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative (FII) 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 24, 2018. [Photo/Xinhua]

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday described the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a "heinous crime," Al Arabiya local news reported.

At the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh, the crown prince said Khashoggi's death was hurtful to the Saudis and the world. He said that Saudi authorities were working with Turkey to complete the investigations into the journalist's death.

He also vowed to hold accountable those behind the crime.

Khashoggi, a columnist for U.S. newspaper The Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, has been missing since his entry into the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul on Oct. 2.

The kingdom said early Saturday that Khashoggi had died in a "brawl" in its consulate, without explaining the cause of his death.

Meanwhile, the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ordered on Saturday the reorganization of the intelligence authority and sacked senior intelligence as well as other officials over the case.