Khashoggi's eldest son leaves Saudi Arabia: report

The eldest son of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has flown out of Saudi Arabia, two sources close to the family said on Thursday.

Salah Khashoggi, who one source said holds dual U.S.-Saudi citizenship and had thus far been under a travel ban, departed on Wednesday. The sources declined to disclose his destination or other details of his departure.

Salah Jamal Khashoggi and his uncle Sahl bin Ahmed Khashoggi were received Tuesday by Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who expressed their condolences over the killing of the dissident journalist.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and vocal critic of the crown prince, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

Khashoggi's death was described as "murder" for the first time by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Sunday.

Riyadh had initially denied that Saudi officials had any knowledge of what had happened to the 59-year-old dissident journalist, saying he had left the consulate after picking up papers for his forthcoming marriage.

The kingdom admitted on Saturday - 18 days after the incident - that Khashoggi indeed died in the consulate but blamed the death on a "fistfight" and said more than a dozen people were being questioned.

On Thursday, a Saudi public prosecutor said the killing was premeditated, citing the Turkish-Saudi joint probe, Saudi media said.