Actor Gerard Butler pulls out promotional visit to Saudi Arabia over journalist's disappearance row

Actor Gerard Butler has pulled out of a promotional event for his film "Hunter Killer" in Riyadh after the disappearance and possible murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a journalist, has not been seen since he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Butler was due to land in the Saudi capital on Tuesday following stops in London and Tel Aviv to promote his latest action thriller film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

He was slated for interviews with a few news outlets and was going to attend the premiere of the film but his representative has confirmed that the visit has now been cancelled.

"Given the circumstances, it was no longer appropriate to make the trip," he stated.

Khashoggi has been a longtime regime dissident and most recently a sharp critic of their ongoing war in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia has denied the accusations.