Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has said the suspects in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia.
At a conference in Bahrain, Adel al-Jubeir accused the western media of “hysteria” in its coverage of the case.
His comments come a day after Turkey said it wished to extradite 18 Saudi nationals authorities say were involved in the murder.
The writer was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul three weeks ago.
Riyadh denies the ruling royal family was involved and blames “rogue agents”.
Saudi Arabia initially denied all knowledge of the journalist’s fate but the Saudi public prosecutor now describes it as premeditated murder.
Khashoggi had been an outspoken critic of the crown prince, the de facto Saudi ruler.
“On the issue of extradition, the individuals are Saudi nationals. They’re detained in Saudi Arabia, and the investigation is in Saudi Arabia, and they will be prosecuted in Saudi Arabia,” Mr al-Jubeir told a security conference in Bahrain.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia are not known to have an extradition treaty.
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Khashoggi’s death in a diplomatic facility “must concern us all”.
He said the United States “does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence.”
“Failure of any nation to adhere to international norms and the rule of law undermines regional stability at a time when it is needed most,” he added.
Khashoggi’s fiancée says she has declined an invitation to the White House from US President Donald Trump, accusing him of not being sincere about investigating the killing.
Hatice Cengiz told Turkish TV she thought the invitation was aimed at influencing public opinion in the US.
President Trump has said he is “not satisfied” with the Saudi account. However, while he has floated the possibility of imposing sanctions. he has also stressed the importance of the two countries’ ties.
Mr Trump also said it was “possible” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not know about the killing.
In a tearful television interview on Friday, Ms Cengiz recounted the day her fiancé vanished, saying she would never have let her partner enter the consulate if she had thought that the “Saudi Arabia authorities would hatch a plot” to kill him.
“I demand that all those involved in this savagery from the highest to the lowest levels are punished and brought to justice,” she told Haberturk TV.
She said she had not been contacted by any Saudi officials but that she was unlikely to go to Saudi Arabia for a funeral, should Khashoggi’s missing body eventually be found.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the Saudis to admit who ordered the killing and where the body is.
The US-based writer’s eldest son arrived in the US from Saudi Arabia on Thursday, along with his family. Salah Khashoggi, a dual Saudi-US citizen, had been barred from leaving Saudi Arabia because of his father’s criticism of the country’s leadership, but this sanction was recently lifted.
The European Parliament on Thursday passed a non-binding resolution urging an EU-wide arms embargo on Saudi Arabia in response to the murder.
Russia has said the royal family should be believed and that “no-one should have any reasons not to believe them,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
