Donald Trump has suggested "the world" should be held accountable for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as it is a "very vicious place".

The comments came as he disputed US intelligence officials had concluded Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of the Washington Post columnist.

Speaking to reporters, the US president said he did not know who was behind it but cited "vehement" denials by the crown prince and the Saudi king.

He said he did not know if the CIA would ever be able to conclude whether Prince Salman was responsible or not.

Khashoggi killing:Trump stands with Saudi Arabia

When asked who should be held accountable for the death, Mr Trump said: "Maybe the world should be held accountable because the world is a vicious place. The world is a very vicious place."


He then went on to speak about the American jobs that Saudi investment created.

"Do people really want me to give up hundreds of thousands of jobs?" he asked reporters. "And frankly, if we went by this standard, we wouldn't have anybody as an ally."

He said his policy was "very simple - America first, keep America great again - and that's what I'm doing".

Saudi minster: Khashoggi reaction 'hysterical'

He added: "It's a terrible thing. I dislike it more than you do. But the fact is... they create tremendous wealth, really tremendous jobs in their purchases and, very importantly, they keep the oil price down."

Earlier this week, Mr Trump said he would not punish the Riyadh financially. He said America planned to remain a "steadfast partner" of the kingdom.

A White House statement said: "Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the crown prince had knowledge of this tragic event - maybe he did and maybe he didn't!

"We may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia."

Mr Khashoggi, a journalist and staunch critic of the Saudi rulers, was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October after entering to obtain documents so he could marry his Turkish fiancee.