"This was an operation that was a rogue operation," he said. "This was an operation where individuals ended up exceeding the authorities and responsibilities they had. They made a mistake when they killed Jamal Khashoggi. Even the senior leadership of our intelligence service was not aware of this. "There obviously was a tremendous mistake made and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to cover up," he said, promising that "those responsible will be punished for it." Saudi Arabia's latest account includes details on how the team of 15 Saudi nationals sent to confront Khashoggi had threatened him with being drugged and kidnapped and killed him in a chokehold when he resisted. A member of the team dressed in Khashoggi's clothes to make it appear as if he had left the consulate. Prince Mohammed had no knowledge of the events, he claimed. Jamal Khashoggi being interviewed. Khashoggi was an outspoken critic of the Saudi royal family. Credit:Metafora Production via AP

The dramatic admission and reversal – officials had previously said the columnist left the building alive – seems only to have complicated the issue for allies. France demanded more information and Germany put arms sales to the oil-rich nation on hold, while the Trump administration stressed the vital importance of the kingdom and its economy to the US. Loading German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she backed a freeze on arms exports to Saudi Arabia "I agree with all those who say that the already limited arms exports... can't take place in the situation we're currently in." She said Germany would discuss further "reactions" to the case with its international partners.

In Sunday radio and TV interviews, Dominic Raab, the UK politician in charge of negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union, described the latest Saudi account as not credible; French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called for "the truth''; and Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his government would approve no arms sales so long as the investigation was ongoing. Saudi Arabia is an important market for all three countries. On Sunday, they issued a joint statement, saying the Saudi investigation's "hypotheses" would "need to be backed by facts to be considered credible." Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, promised to disclose full details of the Turkish investigation into the case on Tuesday. According to the latest Saudi account, "discussions" of Khashoggi's status turned violent at the consulate. He died after being placed in a choke hold, a person with knowledge of the Saudi probe said. That conflicts with reports from Turkish officials, who say a Saudi hit team flew in specifically to kill and dismember him with a bone saw. According to a New York Times report, some members of the group had close ties to the crown prince. And now Turkey's official news agency says Khashoggi's fiancee has been given 24-hour police protection. Anadolu reported that the decision was made by the Istanbul governor's office on Sunday, citing an anonymous security official.

Hatice Cengiz, a Turkish national, waited for Khashoggi outside the consulate where he was to get papers for their planned marriage. She alerted authorities after the writer did not emerge from the building. 'Deception and lies' In an interview with The Washington Post, US President Donald Trump, too, said the Saudi narrative had been marked by "deception and lies". Yet he also defended Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a "strong person," and said there was no proof of his involvement in Khashoggi's death. A demonstrator wears a mask of Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's crown prince, during a protest outside the White House in Washington on Friday. Credit:Bloomberg

Some members of the US Congress have questioned Trump's willingness to exonerate the prince. Behind the tortured rhetoric, however, are tough choices that the US and other governments will have to make. Will they judge longstanding economic and defence ties with the kingdom more important than concern that failure to impose consequences on the slaying would give a green light for authoritarian regimes to kill inconvenient journalists and opponents worldwide? International interest in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is as high as ever. Credit:AP "We have a longstanding relationship with Saudi that dates back to a long period of time," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters in Jerusalem during the first stop on a six-country Middle East tour that will include a visit to Riyadh. "We will continue in that relationship while we also simultaneously get to the bottom of what the facts are about the Khashoggi situation, which obviously is a terrible situation."

'Not enough' The Treasury chief – who cancelled his participation in a Saudi investment conference this week – said that while the world seeks answers as to what happened to Khashoggi, "the information that's coming out is a good first step, but it's obviously not enough." In the meantime, Russian businesses are flocking to attend the investment forum in Saudi Arabia, as Western counterparts pull out. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denies all knowledge of the killing. Credit:AP Russian President Vladimir Putin has had considerable success boosting Moscow's influence in the Middle East at US expense, by standing by regimes that fall afoul of the West, including in Syria and Iran.

Last week Putin signed a strategic and partnership agreement with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, backed by $US25 billion ($35 billion) in loans to build nuclear reactors. Until Sissi came to power, Egypt had been closely allied to the US. Uproar in Congress The killing has sparked bipartisan outrage in Congress over Saudi Arabia's role, creating a divide between Capitol Hill and the White House ahead of November's mid-term elections. Mnuchin said it would be "premature to comment on sanctions" related to the killing until "we've gotten to the bottom of what's occurred." Loading If Trump has a message for Saudi officials related to the investigation of Khashoggi's killing, Mnuchin said he would deliver it. He said discussions with the Saudis would focus on stopping terrorism financing.

Trump has strengthened ties with Saudi Arabia, which he sees as an essential player in advancing his Middle East policy. In the Washington Post interview he stressed again the importance of Saudi Arabia to his policy of pressuring Iran – a regime he described as "evil." Trump also says the incident shouldn't jeopardise US weapon sales to Saudi Arabia or other potential investments, which he says are worth a total of $US450 billion. The President told reporters soon after the Saudi statement was published that "it's a great first step. I think we're getting close to solving a very big problem." Later on Saturday, speaking to reporters in Nevada, he said it was a concern that Khashoggi's body is missing but reiterated that the journalist's killing shouldn't affect broader ties with the kingdom. Saudi Arabia's King Salman removed a top adviser to the crown prince and prosecutors have detained 18 people involved in the case. Trump said Saturday he would be talking to Prince Mohammed soon.