Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel Aljubeir - who is accompanying Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman on his three-nation tour in Asia - today said the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year was a "rogue operation" by government agents who acted without authority. The murder of Jamal Khashoggi -- a well-known journalist and critic of the Saudi government -- in Istanbul is seen to have strained the ties between Saudi Arabia and the western nations, especially the US. The western media has labelled the crown prince's Asia tour -- which comes five months after the murder -- as a move to "refurbish" his image.