Jamal Khashoggi: Jeremy Hunt says 'rapid progress' made in finding killers of Saudi journalist after Riyadh trip

Foreign secretary expects to hear about legal proceedings in case 'quite shortly'

(Saudi Press Agency/AP)

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said he thinks there will be “rapid progress” in bringing the killers of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi to justice.

After meeting with the Saudi king in Riyadh, Mr Hunt said he expected to hear about the progress of legal proceedings in the case “quite shortly”.

The foreign secretary used the trip to tell Saudi officials their allies needed assurances that such an incident “cannot and will not happen again”, he said.

The kingdom has admitted a team of agents murdered Khashoggi, who was a prominent critic living in self-imposed exile in the US, and has arrested 18 people allegedly involved.

Mr Hunt also used his visit to the Saudi Arabian capital to press for an end to the bloody civil war in Yemen, where three years of conflict has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia had confirmed its willingness to evacuate 50 wounded Houthi fighters to Oman for medical treatment, making prospects for talks to end to the fighting “more real”, the foreign secretary said.

“It is a desperate humanitarian situation and so I impressed on everyone the urgency of the situation we’re facing,” he said.

Additional reporting by Reuters