German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday strongly condemned the killing of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi consulate in Istanbul, calling for further investigation, while German foreign minister asked for a suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

"With great dismay, we have received the confirmation of the violent death of Jamal Khashoggi," said a statement issued by Merkel and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

"We condemn the act with utmost sharpness. We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia in light of the circumstances of the death and the background," according to the statement.

The statement said that those responsible must be held accountable, and the information given at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is insufficient.

Under massive pressure, Saudi Arabia admitted on Saturday that preliminary investigations by the Saudi Public Prosecution showed the missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi died after a fight at the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

In an interview with the German public broadcast ARD on Saturday night, Heiko Maas said that German arms exports to Saudi Arabia should not be approved for the time being due to Kashoggi's violent death.

"I think as long as the investigations are ongoing and as long as we do not know what happened there, there is no reason to take positive decisions on arms exports to Saudi Arabia," said Maas to ARD.

Saudi Arabia is the second largest customer of German weapons behind Algeria so far this year: until September, the German federal government granted export licenses worth 416.4 million euros to Saudi Arabia.

Prior to the announcement by Saudi Arabia, Heiko Maas had already put travel plans to Saudi Arabia on hold.

Maas said on Wednesday in Berlin that he would wait for the investigation and a possible statement from Riyadh. 

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