Nigel Farage, the former leader of the UK Independence Party's (UKIP), has suggested that the Western countries' current low-key response to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi would have been a massive public uproar if the journalist had disappeared in a Russian consulate.
"Imagine if any other country had behaved like this. Imagine if Russia had behaved like this. There would be a much bigger international outcry," Farage told Fox News.
READ MORE: Washington Post: Trump 'Surrenders' to Saudi Government Over Khashoggi Slaying
He described Saudi Arabia is an "important market" both for the US and Britain, arguing that the West's reluctance to hold Riyadh accountable for Khashoggi's killing indicate a clear-cut double-standard.
Farage's remarks followed Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu claiming that US President Donald Trump's statements related to the Khashoggi case "amount to him saying 'I'll turn a blind eye [to the incident] no matter what'."
Earlier, Trump said the CIA did not have any definitive answer on whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had been aware of the premeditated killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The US President insisted that he does not know "if anyone's going to be able to conclude the Crown Prince did it."
READ MORE: Saudi FM Blasts 'CIA Report' on Crown Prince's Alleged Role in Khashoggi Killing
Trump previously claimed that Mohammed bin Salman "could very well" have known about the incident but added that Washington will remain a "steadfast partner" of Riyadh in order to maintain the interests of the US and its allies in the region.
Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2 while visiting the Saudi Consulate in Ankara, Turkey. Riyadh at first denied that the journalist had disappeared in the consulate but later confirmed that he was killed by a group of people waiting for him inside the diplomatic facility.
