Trump says CIA has no conclusion on Khashoggi's death

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had not drawn any conclusion on the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death.

"They did not come to a conclusion," Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in the state of Florida.

"Nobody's concluded. I don't know if anyone could conclude that the crown prince did it," he added.

Trump's remarks came days after US media, citing insiders, reported that the CIA had concluded Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered to kill Khashoggi, while the crown prince himself kept denying the accusations.

Having received a report from the CIA on the murder, Trump told reporters that the CIA pointed out "certain things" but drew no conclusion.

"They (the CIA) said he (the crown prince) might've done it," Trump noted.

Khashoggi has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. The Saudi authorities said Khashoggi died in a "brawl" in its consulate.

After releasing the results of its initial investigation, the Saudi Public Prosecution announced that 18 Saudis were arrested for their alleged connections with the killing.

The US Treasury imposed sanctions on 17 individuals over their alleged roles in the killing of Khashoggi last week, following US State Department's decision in late October to revoke 21 Saudi suspects' visas.