Saudi intel official relieved of his duties

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Friday allegations around the disappearance and apparent killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi are “totally inconsistent” with Britain’s values and beliefs, and would be “unacceptable for the United Kingdom.”

“What is alleged to have happened is totally inconsistent with our values and what we believe in, and not just the brutality of it – if it happened – but also the fact that he was a journalist,” Hunt said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 on Friday. 

While the foreign minister asserted that the British government is “extremely concerned,” its response to Saudi Arabia would have to be “considered” in respect of the strategic relationship between both states.

“Our relationship with Saudi is a strategic relationship as well. Our response will be considered because we have to recognize in that strategic relationship that they share intelligence with us that helps us keep people safe in the streets of Britain,” Hunt said.

“We have a very strict Arms Sale Control Mechanism and let’s be clear — we don’t just sell arms to anywhere that we can make money,” Hunt added.