German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the 18 Saudi citizens were suspected of being involved in Jamal Khashoggi's death. He consulted with his British and France counterparts before announcing the decision.
Germany has triggered proceedings to ban 18 Saudi citizens allegedly involved in the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi from entering Europe's Schengen zone, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Monday.
"We still have more questions than answers in the Khashoggi case," Maas said on the sidelines of a European Union meeting in Brussels, adding that he had discussed the decision with Britain and France prior to his announcement.
Im Fall #Khashoggi haben wir weiterhin mehr Fragen als Antworten. Haben uns eng mit Frankreich & Großbritannien abgestimmt. Deutschland hat Verfahren angestoßen,um 18 saudische Staatsangehörige,die mutmaßlich im Zusammenhang mit der Tat stehen,mit Einreisesperren zu belegen. pic.twitter.com/gCeFfyiU2g
— Heiko Maas (@HeikoMaas) November 19, 2018
The Schengen Area comprises 26 European countries. It includes most EU countries and non-EU members Norway and Switzerland.
A German foreign ministry spokeswoman told the Reuters news agency that Germany's privacy laws precluded her from naming the individuals.
Saudi dithering
Khashoggi was killed while visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2. His body was dismembered and removed.
Germany and the European Union have repeatedly called on Saudi authorities to clarify the circumstances of Khashoggi's death. Riyadh initially denied that he had been killed. But amid growing international pressure, it accused 11 rogue agents of carrying out the killing without its consent.
Doubts remain however about the complicity of Saudi leaders. On Saturday, US media reported that the US Central Intelligence Agency believed with "high confidence" that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman directly ordered the killing.
Germany announced it would stop selling weapons to Saudi Arabia in late October until the full facts of Khashoggi's death were "on the table."
