What To Know About The Mysterious Disappearance Of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Update, October 15: CNN reports that Saudi officials are preparing to release a report admitting that Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but asserting that his death was accidental.
The Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death was the result of an interrogation that went wrong, one that was intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey, according to two sources.
One source says the report will likely conclude that the operation was carried out without clearance and transparency and that those involved will be held responsible.
One of the sources acknowledged that the report is still being prepared and cautioned that things could change.
[CNN]
Update, October 12: The Washington Post is now reporting that Turkish officials have told US officials that they possess audio and video recordings of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's assassination inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
The recordings show that a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi in the consulate after he walked in Oct. 2 to obtain an official document before his upcoming wedding, then killed him and dismembered his body, the officials said.
The audio recording in particular provides some of the most persuasive and gruesome evidence that the Saudi team is responsible for Khashoggi's death, the officials said.
The Turkish officials reportedly have no plans to release the recordings, "fearing they could divulge how the Turks spy on foreign entities in their country."
Meanwhile, President Trump said on Thursday that the US is investigating Khashoggi's disappearance and that he doesn't favor the prospect of canceling an arms deal with Saudi Arabia as punishment for Khashoggi's alleged assassination. "I don't like the concept of stopping an investment of $110 billion into the United States because you know what they're going to do, they're going to take that money and spend it in Russia or China," Trump told reporters. "If it turns out to be as bad as it might be, there are certainly other ways of handling the situation."
Previously: Last Tuesday, a Washington Post columnist from Saudi Arabia entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain some documents he needed for his upcoming wedding to a Turkish woman. He never came out again. Now, Turkish authorities claim that Jamal Khashoggi, 59, was murdered by a team of 15 Saudi agents who then dismembered his body to avoid detection. Here's what we know about this deeply unsettling story.
Khashoggi Was A Prominent Critic Of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman
Khashoggi was a longtime Saudi royal court insider who fell out of favor when Mohammad bin Salman was appointed Crown Prince in 2017. He moved to Washington, DC in self-exile last year but was reportedly planning to move to Turkey to live with his fiancée.
A former editor of the al-Watan newspaper and a short-lived Saudi TV news channel, Mr Khashoggi was for years seen as close to the Saudi royal family. He served as an adviser to senior Saudi officials.
After several of his friends were arrested, his column was cancelled by the al-Hayat newspaper and he was allegedly warned to stop tweeting, Mr Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia for the US, from where he wrote opinion pieces for the Washington Post and continued to appear on Arab and Western TV channels.
[BBC News]
Khashoggi Reportedly Seemed Relaxed Prior To His Disappearance
Although Khashoggi was well aware of Mohammed bin Salman's numerous human rights abuses and had seen friends targeted by the Crown Prince, he was reportedly relaxed in the days leading up to his disappearance.
Khashoggi seemed mostly focused on the future, his friend Azzam Tamimi said, talking about writing his third book and his excitement about his upcoming wedding. Tamimi said that Khashoggi told him about the appointment at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Tuesday morning; he had to prove that he was divorced so that he could marry again.
"He said not to worry, he was very optimistic. He said he had been treated well in a previous visit to the consulate," Tamimi said. "He was welcomed warmly, very warmly, he said. They promised him his papers. He told me the staff at the consulate were just ordinary people. He wouldn't have a problem."
Khashoggi Entered The Saudi Consulate In Istanbul On Tuesday And Never Reemerged
Before entering the consulate on Tuesday, Khashoggi reportedly told his fiancée to call Turkish authorities if anything happened to him.
Khashoggi pays a visit to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after lunch to pick up paperwork he needs in order to get married. Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, waits outside the building for several hours with his personal effects including his phone — these are not allowed to be taken inside the diplomatic building — and then calls the police.
Turkish Officials Think Khashoggi Was Assassinated, His Body Dismembered And Flown Out In Boxes
Turkish authorities have told reporters that they believe Khashoggi was assassinated by a team of 15 agents flown into Turkey for the occasion.
Four days after Khashoggi vanished, unnamed Turkish officials told the The Washington Post and Reuters that the journalist was killed inside the consulate. The officials have so far provided no evidence or details of how they arrived at this conclusion…
Fifteen Saudi Arabian nationals — including several officials — arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the Saudi consulate there on the day Khashoggi went missing, state-run Anadolu news agency reported Saturday, citing police sources. The 15 Saudis have all since left Turkey, it added.
[CNN]
According to the Washington Post, "A US official said that Turkish investigators believe Khashoggi was likely dismembered, removed in boxes and flown out of the country."
Saudi Authorities Claim Khashoggi Left The Consulate Voluntarily And Disappeared Afterwards
Saudi authorities called the murder accusation "baseless." On Saturday, journalists were permitted to tour the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to prove that Khashoggi was not being detained there. Today, a Saudi official issued a new statement denying any involvement in his disappearance, saying,
We categorically reject any allegations of involvement in his disappearance. The Consulate in Istanbul has opened up for a walkthrough which reinforced that Jamal is not being held in the Consulate. He is not held and has not been harmed by the Saudi government. The Kingdom has sent an investigation team there to work in cooperation with the Turkish authorities. And, we are continuing to provide support wherever needed. Our sympathies go out to Jamal's family at this time.
[Via CBS News]
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, challenged the Saudis to prove it:
"We have to get an outcome from this investigation as soon as possible. The consulate officials cannot save themselves by simply saying 'he has left'," Erdogan told a news conference in Budapest on Monday.
"The relevant authorities are obligated to provide proof of this claim, on this matter. If he left, you must prove this, you will prove this, even if it's with visuals. Those who ask Turkish authorities 'where is he?' should first be asking 'how did this happen?'" Erdogan added.
Neither Saudi officials nor Turkish officials have released security camera footage from the consulate on the day of Khashoggi's disappearance.
You can read Khashoggi's Washington Post columns here.
