Khashoggi was strangled and dismembered: Turkey

REVELATIONS came only an hour after Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor left Istanbul

Istanbul, Oct. 31: Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and his body was dismembered and destroyed as part of a premeditated plan, Turkey's chief prosecutor said Wednesday, making details of the murder public for the first time.

The revelations came only an hour after Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor left Istanbul, and his Turkish counterpart said he was "obliged" to release the information after their talks produced "no concrete results".

Gruesome reports in the Turkish media had previously alleged that Khashoggi, a 59- year- old Washington Post contributor who had criticised the powerful Saudi crown prince, was killed and cut into pieces by a team sent from Riyadh to silence him. His body has not been found. "In accordance with plans made in advance, the victim, Jamal Khashoggi, was strangled to death immediately after entering the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 for marriage formalities," said a statement from the office of Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan.

"The victim's body was dismembered and destroyed following his death by suffocation -again, in line with advance plans," it added.

Saudi Arabia sent the head of its investigation to Istanbul this week, seeking to draw a line under a crisis that has brought near unprecedented scrutiny on the oil- rich Gulf nation.