Saudi Arabia: Journalist killed in consulate fight

Britain will be under increasing pressure to act against Saudi Arabia after the Gulf kingdom admitted dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed at its Istanbul consulate.

Saudi state television reported on Friday night that a primary investigation into the Washington Post columnist's disappearance found he died after a fight broke out in the consulate in Turkey.

So far, 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested and deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and Saud al-Qahtani, a senior aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have been dismissed, state TV reported.

Jeremy Hunt had earlier warned there will be "consequences" for the UK's relationship with Saudi Arabia if it was found the journalist was murdered.

The Foreign Secretary said the Government remained "extremely concerned" about his fate after he went missing when he visited the consulate more than two weeks ago to get paperwork so he could marry.

His warning came as former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers said "all the evidence" suggested that Mr Khashoggi had been murdered on the orders of someone close to the crown prince.

Turkish government sources have alleged Mr Khashoggi, a critic of the prince and the Saudi government, was tortured and murdered and by a hit squad flown in from Riyadh.