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Jamal Khashoggi case: All the latest updates
5:05 CAT | 23 Oct 2018
Turkish president stops short of accusing Saudi royals over killing of Jamal Khashoggi but demands answers from Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia has admitted Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
Khashoggi – a Saudi writer, US resident, and Washington Post columnist – entered the building on October 2 to obtain documentation certifying he had divorced his ex-wife. He never came out.
After weeks of repeated denials that it had anything to do with his disappearance, the kingdom has admitted Khashoggi, 59, died in a “fist-fight” inside the consulate.
Here are the latest developments:
Tuesday, October 23
Saudi king, crown prince meet Khashoggi relatives
Saudi state media that King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with members of Khashoggi’s family in Riyadh.
The Saudi rulers met with the journalist’s son, Salah, and Sahl, a relative, at the royal palace, state-run news agency SPA reported.
#صور | #خادم_الحرمين_الشريفين يستقبل سهل وصلاح خاشقجي.#واس pic.twitter.com/p3In2A5Lgx
— واس (@spagov) October 23, 2018
Body parts ‘found’ in search for Khashoggi
Body parts belonging to Jamal Khashoggi have been found, according to a report by Sky News.
The broadcaster said that “well-placed sources within the investigation and within political circles” revealed the 59-year-old was “cut up” and “disfigured” after being killed in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
One source suggested remains were discovered in the garden of the Saudi consul general’s house.
Sky’s report came just hours after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for more answers from Riyadh over Khashoggi’s killing during an address to the Turkish parliament in Ankara.
Erdogan accuses Saudi officials of ‘planned’ assassination
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the “savage” killing of Saudi writer and critic Jamal Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul was “planned” days before his murder on October 2.
Addressing the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Erdogan raised several questions that he said still needed answering from officials in Riyadh but stopped short of accusing the kingdom’s royals of playing any part in the assassination.
“The Saudi authorities have taken an important step confirming the killing and now we ask Saudi authorities to work hard to reveal the names of those involved, from the bottom to the top,” Erdogan said.
“There are also questions in every mind; why did those 15 people gather in Istanbul on the day they committed the crime and … according to instructions given to them by whom? We need to know,” he added.
Erdogan speaks on Khashoggi murder
Al Jazeera’s Jamal Elshayyal, reporting from outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, said Erdogan’s address was “anticlimactic”.
“All Erdogan did was wrap up in one speech the different bits of information that were leaked out in the past few weeks,” Elshayyal said.
“[But] he made it very clear that as far as he and his country are concerned this was a pre-planned attempt to murder Jamal Khashoggi, not to kidnap him.”
Russia remains tight-lipped on Khashoggi case, Britain demands more answers
Russia has heard Saudi Arabia’s denial of any connection between the royal family in Riyadh and the Khashoggi killing and will await further information from investigators, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May, meanwhile, said questions remain outstanding over the killing of Khashoggi, which “only the Saudis have the answers to”.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was “deeply concerned” by Erdogan’s description of the murder as “pre-meditated”.
“The world is still waiting for answers,” Hunt said on Twitter.
Lebanon leader backs Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi
In a statement released by his office, Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said Saudi’s response to the killing of Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul “serves the path of justice and the disclosure of the whole truth”.
Hariri, who has struggled to form a cabinet after being elected for a third term as leader in May, is a long-term ally of Riyadh.
Turkey’s Erdogan to divulge ‘naked truth’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will expose what he has said is the “naked truth” about Khashoggi’s murder on Tuesday.
Turkish media have reported Khashoggi was killed and dismembered based on recordings from the consulate. They say he died at the hands of a 15-member assassination squad from Saudi Arabia.
Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkish investigators have carried out a “sensitive and comprehensive” investigation.
‘The issue is not between Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Turkey is taking necessary steps to unveil the incident under international and national law,” Kalin said.
“The issue is to shed light on an atrocious murder. The stance of our president is very clear since the beginning. Nothing will remain hidden regarding this incident.”
Abdulkadir Selvi, whose Hurriyet newspaper columns are closely watched for indications of Erdogan’s thinking in Turkey, wrote Khashoggi was slowly strangled to death before a Saudi forensic specialist cut his body into 15 pieces while listening to music.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Istanbul, said Erdogan’s speech is expected at 08:45 GMT.
“Expectations are high, it’s been seen as a turning point,” she said.
“Since the disappearance of Khashoggi on Ocober 2, Erdogan really has been a diplomat, choosing his words carefully, not using strong language, not pointing the finger at anyone. But now it seems he wants to reveal details to the world.”
Analysts say Erdogan has preferred to authorise the leak of incriminating information to pro-government media to put pressure on the kingdom.
He has twice held telephone talks with Saudi King Salman on the crisis, interpreted by some as sidelining the ageing monarch’s powerful son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Turkey willing to assist international probe – foreign minister
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara is ready to cooperate with any investigation set up by the UN or another international body to examine the killing of Saudi writer and critic Jamal Khashoggi.
In a televised interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency, Cavusoglu praised Saudi Arabia’s admittance of Khashoggi’s killing as “important” and said Riyadh was “more open to cooperation” with Ankara over the case concerning his death following a phone call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi’s King Salman.
Turkey has not shared evidence on the case with any country but may have held meetings with foreign intelligence services, Cavusoglu added.
Mnuchin meets Saudi finance minister in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan met US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh, a statement from the ministry said.
On Sunday, Mnuchin said Saudi’s explanation of the killing of Saudi writer and critic Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul was a “good first step but not enough”.
Mnuchin, who is on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East, also said it was premature to discuss sanctions over the case.
Saudi foreign minister pledges ‘comprehensive investigation’
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said the kingdom was committed to a “comprehensive investigation” into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.
All those responsible for the journalist’s death would be detained, the minister told a news conference in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
He added that the kingdom had sent a team to Turkey as part of its investigation and pledged that mechanisms will be put in place so that “something like this can never happen again”.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi government, disappeared after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain documents for his marriage.
After repeated denials, Saudi Arabia admitted last week that the dissident journalist was killed in a “fist-fight” in the consulate, an explanation that drew scepticism from several Western governments.
Saudi investment conference begins despite boycotts
Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative conference, widely dubbed “Davos in the desert”, has kicked off in the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.
Several business leaders and high-profile political figures have boycotted the three-day event over the killing of Saudi writer and critic Jamal Khashoggi inside Saudi’s Istanbul consulate on October 2.
Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is under intense scrutiny over the killing, is expected to attend, however. The event is aimed at attracting foreign investment to the kingdom, which is largely dependent on oil revenues.
Donald Trump says murder was a ‘plot gone awry’
In an interview with USA Today, US President Donald Trump said he believed Khashoggi’s death was “a plot gone awry”.
He called Khashoggi’s killing “foolish and stupid”.
Trump said he had talked on the phone with both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and more details about what happened would be known within a day or two.
“He says he is not involved nor is the king,” Trump said of the powerful crown prince, declining to answer whether he believed his denials.
Trump said he would be “very upset” if it was proven that the Saudi leader was involved.
Earlier the American president told reporters at the White House he’s “not satisfied with what I’ve heard” from the Saudis.
Trump’s comments have varied from playing down Riyadh’s role to warning of possible economic sanctions. He has repeatedly highlighted the kingdom’s importance as a US ally, and said bin Salman was a strong and passionate leader.
The US president indicated he would oppose efforts to cease arms sales to the kingdom in response to the murder. There are “many other” potential penalties, he told the newspaper.
CIA chief travels to Turkey for Khashoggi case
Gina Haspel, director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, is flying to Turkey to work on the probe into Khashoggi’s killing, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.
US President Donald Trump said earlier he has “top intelligence people in Turkey”, without elaborating.
“I have a great group of people in Turkey right now and a great group of people in Saudi Arabia. We will know very soon what happened to Khashoggi,” Trump said.
The CIA declined to comment on Haspel’s reported travel when asked about it by Anadolu news agency.
Her visit comes as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares to announce the initial findings of Ankara’s investigation on Tuesday.
Exactly three weeks after Khashoggi disappeared, US and European security agencies still have an incomplete picture of what happened at the Saudi consulate.
Six US and Western officials told Reuters they believed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was ultimately responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance because of his role overseeing the Saudi security apparatus – but they lacked hard proof.
“Difficult to say MBS did not know about this,” a Western security source said.
Saudi Arabia’s prominent investment conference dubbed Davos in the Desert is set to kick off in the capital Riyadh, though it’s been overshadowed by Khashoggi’s killing.
In recent days the Future Investment Initiative has seen major pull-outs from top global CEOs and finance officials.
The summit is scheduled to begin at 8am (05:00 GMT) and Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to attend. It is aimed at weaning the kingdom off oil revenues and fostering an economy powered by private investments.
Among the A-list executives who have withdrawn are JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, HSBC CEO John Flint, Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and the head of German industrial giant Siemens, Joe Kaeser.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde are also skipping the event.
At last year’s conference, Saudi Arabia unveiled plans to build a new $500bn dollar investment city, called Neom, located on the kingdom’s northwestern coast by the Red Sea.
Total’s chief executive said he would attend despite rising pressure on business leaders to drop out.
“I am convinced that an ’empty chairs at the table’ strategy serves no useful purpose, especially when it comes to respect for human rights,” Total’s CEO Patrick Pouyanne said in a statement.
The French oil major’s decision comes despite President Emmanuel Macron’s decision last week to pull his finance minister out of the conference.
Another French energy company, state-owned EDF, said its CEO would not attend.
Source: Al Jazeera
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