Saudi Arabia has said that five of the people charged with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi could face the death penalty.

The kingdom’s public prosecutor has said there are now 21 people in custody over the murder – with 11 indicted and referred to trial.

Saud al Mojeb said that Mr Khashoggi's killers had set plans for the murder in motion three days before he was killed.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the kingdom’s top prosecutor Shaalan al Shaalan, said the highest-level official accused of being behind the killing is former deputy intelligence chief Ahmad al Assiri - who has since been fired.

File photo of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Mr al Shaalan said the Washington Post columnist was murdered by lethal injection on October 2nd. He said his body was dismembered and taken out of the building.

He said Mr Khashoggi was killed after "negotiations" for his return to the kingdom failed and that the person who ordered the killing was in fact the head of the negotiating team.

He said the whereabouts of Mr Khashoggi's body remain unknown.

Mr al Mojeb attempted to distance the killers Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whom Turkey has claimed ordered the attack.

He claimed two senior officials gave the orders, while a spokesman for his office said the crown prince had no knowledge of the murder.

File photo of Turkish President Recip Tayipp Erdogan

Many analysts and officials have warned that it could not have been carried out without the prince's knowledge.

This afternoon, Turkish officials said the Saudi prosecutor's statements were "unsatisfactory."

Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the measures announced by Mr al Mojeb were "positive but insufficient" - insisting that the suspects should be tried in Turkey.

Turkey has said the assassination squad was sent from Riyadh for the writer and insists the orders for the killing came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but not King Salman.