Who Was Jamal Khashoggi? What to Know About the Murdered Journalist

Jamal Khashoggi became a widely known name in 2018 when he died during a visit to a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

The circumstances of the journalist's death became the subject of controversy, and the reported method of his body's disposal caused an even larger public outcry.

We're going to take a look into Jamal's background and see how his murder was referenced years after it took place -- apparently to the annoyance of a few higher-ups in the government.

Jamal was originally from Saudi Arabia, and he served as an adviser to the country's government for several years, according to the BBC.

He worked as a journalist for several Saudi news corporations, and he covered various hot-topic issues over the course of his career.

Although Jamal was formerly close to the Saudi royal family, they eventually fell out, and he moved to the United States in 2017, where he'd studied at Indiana State University in 1982.

Jamal later began writing for the Washington Post, and he penned columns criticizing the activities of Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Jamal visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in September 2018 in order to obtain a document proving he'd been legally divorced, as he was looking to marry his fiancée, who was Turkish, at the time.

He was told to return the following month, and upon his return he was held inside the consulate. His fiancée was waiting outside for him ... she waited for 10 hours before leaving.

Prince Mohammed claimed Khashoggi had left the consulate about an hour later on the day he'd arrived.

The Saudi government later stated he'd died during a fight at the consulate.

Investigators concluded Jamal had been forcibly restrained during the fight, and he was reportedly given a fatal dose of an unspecified drug. His body was later dismembered and removed from the consulate for disposal.

Jamal's death resulted in a public outcry against the actions of the Saudi government and relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States became strained.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman was determined by the CIA to have ordered Jamal's murder, which he denied. Eleven people were eventually tried in Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia. Five men were convicted and sentenced to death -- their sentences were later commuted. Three others went to prison, and three were found innocent.

The nation of Turkey maintains a "death squad" of 18 men had been tracking Khashoggi and killed and dismembered him inside the consulate. Twenty men were charged in absentia in Turkey.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman was internationally condemned as details of the murder were revealed.

President Donald Trump appeared to downplay Jamal's murder during Prince Mohammed's visit to the White House in November 2025.

The journalist's murder was brought up by a reporter, who asked Prince Mohammed why Americans should trust him given his connection to Jamal's death.

Trump responded by describing Jamal as "extremely controversial" and stating the late journalist wasn't liked by many people, saying "things happen."