Saudi crown prince calls Khashoggi killing "heinous" and "unjustified"

In his first public comments since the Jamal Khashoggi crisis unfolded, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) called the journalist's killing a "heinous crime that cannot be justified" and pledged that all culprits will be punished and that justice will prevail.

Why it matters: MBS was addressing the Future Investment Initiative, a Saudi investment conference from which dozens of companies, executives and speakers pulled out over the Khashoggi controversy. President Trump and other global leaders have cast doubt on the Saudi government's explanation for Khashoggi's death, in which they claim he was accidentally killed during a fistfight with Saudi security officials inside the consulate in Istanbul.