Turkish crime scene investigators searched the home of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul on Wednesday after the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, as a pro-government new
By Suzan Fraser, Fay Abuelgasim and Jon Gambrell
October 17 2018 7:27 PM
Turkish crime scene investigators searched the home of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul on Wednesday after the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, as a pro-government newspaper published a gruesome account of the journalist’s alleged slaying.
As Saudi Arabia’s green national flag flapped overhead, forensics teams entered the residence, about a mile from the consulate where Khashoggi vanished on October 2 while trying to pick up paperwork to get married.
It was the second such extraordinary search of land considered under international law to be sovereign Saudi soil after investigators spent hours in the consulate earlier this week.
The account published in the Yeni Safak newspaper alleged that Saudi officials cut off Khashoggi’s fingers and then decapitated him at the consulate as his fiancee waited outside.
The searches and the leaks in Turkish media have ensured the world’s attention remains focused on what happened to Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who went into a self-imposed exile in the US over the rise of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It also put further strains on the relationship between the kingdom, the world’s largest oil exporter, and its main security guarantor, the United States, as tensions with Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East remain high.
Flying back home after a visit to both Saudi Arabia and Turkey, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remained positive about an ongoing Saudi probe into Khashoggi’s disappearance, but he stressed that answers are needed.
“Sooner’s better than later for everyone,” Mr Pompeo said.
The search of the consul’s residence came 15 days after Khashoggi’s disappearance, and after police apparently thought they would be able to conduct the search on Tuesday.
Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saudi officials had halted the earlier search, claiming that consul general Mohammed al-Otaibi’s family was still there.
Crime-scene technicians wore white overalls, gloves and shoe covers entering the residence.
It was not immediately clear what investigators hoped to find there, although surveillance footage showed diplomatic cars moving between the consulate and the residence nearly two hours after Khashoggi walked into the diplomatic post.
Turkey’s private DHA news agency, without citing a source, said police wanted to inspect a “water well” in the garden of the residence.
Today, I was in #SaudiArabia where I met with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Foreign Minister al-Jubeir. We had direct and candid conversations. Wednesday, I fly to Ankara to meet with Turkish officials. Read my full statement here: https://t.co/99fU8gxPEw
A high-level Turkish official previously told The Associated Press that police found “certain evidence” of Khashoggi’s killing at the consulate, without elaborating.
The report by the newspaper Yeni Safak cited what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi’s killing.
It described the recording as offering evidence that a Saudi team immediately accosted the 60-year-old journalist after he entered the consulate.
Al-Otaibi could be heard on the tape, telling those allegedly torturing Khashoggi: “Do this outside; you’re going to get me in trouble,” the newspaper reported.
One of the Saudis reportedly replied: “Shut up if you want to live when you return to (Saudi) Arabia.”
Security services in Turkey have used pro-government media to leak details of Khashoggi’s case, adding to the pressure on the kingdom.
US President Donald Trump, who initially came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but since has backed off, said Wednesday that the US wanted Turkey to turn over any audio or video recording it had of Khashoggi’s alleged killing “if it exists”.
Just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate. He was with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo…
Al-Otaibi left Turkey on Tuesday, Turkish state media reported.
Mr Pompeo, wrapping up a trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey to discuss the crisis over the missing journalist, made a point of stressing areas where the kingdom and America cooperate.
However Mr Pompeo said there were clear lines that America would not stand to see crossed.
“If a country engages in activity that is unlawful it’s unacceptable,” he said. “No one is going to defend activity of that nature. We just need to simply say what happened.”
Prominent US newspapers have reported, citing anonymous sources, that Saudi officials may soon acknowledge Khashoggi’s killing at the consulate but blame it on a botched intelligence operation.
Press Association
Dean Gray Some 13 million people are on the brink of starvation in war-torn Yemen, the UN has warned.
Raf Sanchez US President Donald Trump suggested yesterday that “rogue killers” might be responsible for murdering Jamal Khashoggi, the missing journalist, after speaking to the Saudi king on the phone.
Tim Ahmann Saudi Arabia is preparing a report that would admit Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed as the result of an interrogation that went wrong, CNN reported on Monday, citing two unnamed sources.
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