Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since October 2, when he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage.
The journalist’s fiancee stayed outside the consulate building waiting for Khashoggi for hours before being told by one of the Consulate General’s employees that the journalist had already left. According to media reports, Turkish investigators believe the journalist was murdered inside the consulate.
Meanwhile, Saudi Interior Minister slammed Friday allegations regarding the death of Khashoggi as “lies,” stressing that the accusations of murder plot were targeting the Saudi government, Reuters reported.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that the Saudi authorities’ comments are unconvincing and called for Riyadh to prove that they have nothing to do with the incident. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Saudi Arabia has authorized access to the consulate building with the Turkish authorities in relation to the disappearance.
According to media reports, the Turkish authorities have informed US officials that they have audio and video recordings that prove that the missing Saudi journalist was killed inside the consulate.
Khashoggi’s disappearance has led officials and business leaders to drop out of another one of Prince Mohammed’s large projects.
On Wednesday, former US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said that he had suspended his advisory role on the board of Saudi Arabia’s planned mega business zone NEOM until more is known about what happened.
According to Reuters, the possible murder of a high-profile critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has cast a long shadow over Saudi Arabia’s global image and it could have significant implications for Middle East politics.
