Erdogan: Murder of writer was planned
Saudi FM says Khashoggi-style killing must ‘never happen again’
Saudi officials murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi in their Istanbul consulate after plotting his death for days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, contradicting Saudi Arabia’s explanation that the writer was accidentally killed. He demanded that the kingdom reveal the identities of all involved, regardless of rank.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that the investigation into the killing of Khashoggi would produce the truth about what happened and that his country was committed to ensuring “that the investigation is thorough and complete and that the truth is revealed and that those responsible will be held to account”.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, in Indonesia, also pledged that mechanisms will be put in place so that “something like this can never happen again”.
On Tuesday, Erdogan also said he wants Saudi Arabia to allow 18 suspects that it detained for the Saudi’s killing to be tried in Turkish courts, setting up further complications with the Saudi government, which has said it is conducting its own investigation and will punish those involved.
“To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community,” Erdogan said in a speech to ruling party lawmakers in parliament.
“Saudi Arabia has taken an important step by admitting the murder. As of now we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible from the highest ranked to the lowest and to bring them to justice,” the Turkish president said.
Erdogan’s speech was previously pitched as revealing the “naked truth” about Khashoggi’s slaying. Instead, it served merely to put a named source to information already circulated by anonymous officials and the Turkish press in the days since the columnist for The Washington Post walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
However, he kept pressure on the kingdom with his demands for Turkish prosecution of the suspects as well as punishment for the plot’s masterminds.
“All evidence gathered shows that Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a savage murder. To cover up such a savagery would hurt the human conscience,” he said.
Intensified skepticism
International skepticism has intensified since Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that Khashoggi died in a brawl. The case has shocked the world and raised suspicions that a Saudi hit squad planned Khashoggi’s killing after he walked into the consulate on Oct 2, and then attempted to cover it up.
Before the announcement by Erdogan, top Turkish officials promised clarity on exactly what happened to Khashoggi and a stream of leaks to national and international media has increased pressure on Saudi Arabia, which is hosting a glitzy investment conference this week that many dignitaries have decided to skip because of the scandal.
On Monday, leaked surveillance video showed a man strolling out of the diplomatic post hours after Khashoggi disappeared into the consulate, apparently wearing the writer’s clothes as part of a macabre deception to sow confusion over his fate.
AP and AFP contributed to this story.