Saudi crown prince to go on foreign tour despite Khashoggi outrage

Emboldened by Trump's support, Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince is set to make his first trip abroad since the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, despite global outrage over the killing the prince is widely believed to have ordered.

The Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Falih made the announcement on Tuesday at a press conference, Saudi-funded Al-Arabiya  reported.

"Falih confirmed that Mohammad bin Salman will take part in the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of the month," the report said.

"The trip will be part of a foreign tour that bin Salman will embark on," it added.

The minister failed to mention the other countries that will be part of the tour.

The move comes amid ever-increasing reports that Prince Mohammad was behind the murder of Khashoggi last month.

US intelligence officials have reportedly concluded that the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto leader, ordered the killing.

But President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to stick by ally Saudi Arabia even while admitting that Prince Mohammed may have been behind the brutal murder.

Saudi Arabia, he said, provides crucial help in the US struggle to contain Iranian ambitions, as well as having committed to $450 billion in US weapons contracts and other investments.

Riyadh has repeatedly denied that Prince Mohammad was aware of the hit job.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist living in exile in the US, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

After persistent denials and numerous contradictory explanations, Riyadh finally admitted Khashoggi was killed in the consulate and his body was dismembered.