Jamal Khashoggi was suffocated as soon as he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, a Turkish prosecutor said Wednesday. His body was then dismembered and disposed of.
This is the first official statement about how the journalist was killed. Investigators are still trying to determine where Khashoggi’s remains may be.
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The statement, made by Istanbul’s chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan, further casts doubt on Saudi Arabia’s changing stories about how the journalist was killed.
Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post and an outspoken critic of the Saudi royal family, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to get a marriage licence while his fiancée was waiting outside. He never came back out.
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Saudi officials initially said they have no knowledge of what happened. They then said that the journalist died in a fistfight. Last week, they admitted that the death was a “premeditated” attack.
The Turkish prosecutor’s announcement of the cause of death comes just days after Saudi chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb left Istanbul.
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Mojeb said Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated and Riyadh said 18 suspects had been arrested. But Turkey, which released a stream of evidence undermining Riyadh’s early denials, has demanded more details including the whereabouts of Khashoggi’s body and who ordered his killing.
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Saudi officials have not revealed who has been arrested in relation to the killing despite calls from Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
The president has also asked Saudi officials to disclose who ordered the killing of Khashoggi and sent the team to Istanbul.
Beyond Turkey, the Khashoggi case continues to make waves internationally.
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It has put into focus the West’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia — a major arms buyer and lynchpin of Washington’s regional plans to contain Iran.
U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, have said the country will face consequences over the killing of Khashoggi.
Meanwhile, as the fallout worsens, reports emerged Wednesday that a senior Saudi prince returned to his country.
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Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, a younger brother of King Salman and uncle of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, arrived on Tuesday after more than two months abroad, three sources told Reuters.
The sources added that his return is an effort on part of the royal family to form a united front amid the political crisis.
— With files from Reuters
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