Mike Pompeo urges Saudi government to support 'transparent' investigation of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance

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Jamal Khashoggi is featured on a poster during a protest organized by members of the Turkish-Arabic Media Association at the entrance to Saudi Arabia's consulate on October 8, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey.

• US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asked Saudi Arabian authorities Monday to conduct a "thorough" and "transparent" investigation into the troubling disappearance of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
• Khashoggi is a prominent critic of the Saudi government. His disappearance has sparked international fear that he may have been harmed.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday called on the government of Saudi Arabia to support "a thorough investigation" of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation.

The disappearance of Khashoggi, previously a prominent newspaper editor in Saudi Arabia, has sparked global concern, particularly after Turkish sources said over the weekend that authorities believed he was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Pompeo said in a statement published Monday night:

"We have seen conflicting reports on the safety and whereabouts of prominent Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi.

As the President has conveyed, the United States is concerned by his disappearance. State Department senior officials have spoken with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through diplomatic channels about this matter.

We call on the government of Saudi Arabia to support a thorough investigation of Mr. Khashoggi's disappearance and to be transparent about the results of that investigation."