Saudi Consulate staff grilled in Khashoggi case
ISTANBUL — Investigators on Friday questioned staff from the Saudi Consulate about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and explored whether his remains could have been dumped outside Istanbul after his suspected killing, Turkish media and a security official said.
Turkey’s foreign minister said his country would share some “evidence” with the rest of the world but rejected a report that it already has shared with the U.S. an alleged audio recording of the slaying of the columnist for The Washington Post.
Saudi Arabia has rejected reports that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the consulate as baseless, but it faces growing pressure to explain what happened to him after he entered the consulate for paperwork required to marry his Turkish fiancée.
Turkish crime scene investigators this week searched the building and the nearby residence of the Saudi consul general and came out carrying bags and boxes. The 15 Turkish employees brought to give testimony included the consul general’s driver, technicians and accountants, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.
Turkish officials have released few details about the probe, but pro-government media have published surveillance video and other material suggesting Khashoggi was killed by an assassination squad with ties to the Saudi crown prince.