The Federal Government has received with great dismay the confirmation of the violent death of Jamal Khashoggi and condemns the act in all sharpness. This was announced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) in a joint statement that was distributed on Saturday afternoon.

Following massive pressure, Saudi Arabia had condemned the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Istanbul Consulate. The state news agency SPA released a statement from the prosecutor, alleging a deadly fight between Khashoggi and several people in the Istanbul Consulate.

Merkel and Maas call the "available information" at the Saudi consulate "insufficient". Germany expects of Saudi Arabia "transparency with regard to the circumstances of death and the background". Responsible persons would have to be held accountable.

Statement by Chancellor #Merkel and Foreign Minister Maas on the violent death of Jamal #Khashoggi: pic.twitter.com/7oncMYwGGW

- Ulrike Demmer (@UlrikeDemmer) 20 October 2018

The news agency SPA reported that 18 Saudi nationals had been arrested and that two counselors of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had been dismissed: the deputy chief of intelligence, Ahmed Asiri, and the media affairs expert Saud Al-Qahtani. The investigation of the "regrettable and painful" development was ongoing, it said.

Chancellor Merkel had at the state party convention of the Thuringian CDU in Leinefelde-Worbis on Saturday from terrible incidents, "where still nothing is cleared up and where we need to educate, of course." According to Turkish media reports, which are based on audio recordings from the consulate, Khashoggi was tortured, killed and his body dismembered.

Green: "Stop arms exports"

In Germany, several politicians are calling for arms exports to Saudi Arabia to be reviewed. "After such an incredible process, the German relationship with Saudi Arabia is put to the test," said SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil of the German Press Agency. "This includes armor exports." There is a coalition agreement with CDU / CSU to make export regulations more restrictive. This must tackle Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU).

However, SPD Foreign Minister Maas had recently corrected a more critical course of his predecessor Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) to Saudi Arabia. Gabriel had accused the leadership of the oil-rich monarchy almost a year ago "adventurism" in the Middle East, whereupon Riad withdrew his ambassador from Berlin. This returned only a few days ago, after Maas had expressed regret over "misunderstandings".

Saudi Arabia has been the second largest customer in the German defense industry to Algeria so far this year: until September 30, the government granted export licenses worth 416.4 million euros. The Greens call for a stop of arms exports to Saudi Arabia.

The federal government must "end the strategic partnership with Riyadh and stop the arms exports," said the foreign policy spokesman for the Greens, Omid Nouripour. "It's hard to believe how stupid the Saudi royal family keeps the world," he said, citing the official statement of the cause of death.

Also Norbert Röttgen (CDU), Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, calls for an immediate stop all German arms shipments to Saudi Arabia. That's what he said to the "world".

The FDP politician Alexander Graf Lambsdorff called for a placement of Saudi ambassadors in all Western states. "In a consulate people should be helped and protected," said the foreign policy of the German Press Agency. "This is a serious attack on the integrity of diplomatic work."

In addition, Lambsdorff called for a boycott of German companies at the investor conference next week in Riyadh. "Siemens is one of the main sponsors," he said. CEO Joe Kaeser is massively criticized because he unlike, for example, IMF head Christine Lagarde has not canceled the participation so far. The journalist organization "Reporters Without Borders" Kaeser in the newspapers of the Funke media group to renounce participation.