Washington Post reporter ‘killed at Saudi consulate in Istanbul’

A friend of a Washington Post journalist who went missing in Istanbul has said Turkish officials told him to make funeral preparations because the reporter “was killed” at the Saudi consulate.

Another official said that authorities believe Jamal Khashoggi, 59, was murdered at the consulate, while another said it was a “high probability”.

Saudi officials have denied the allegations, calling them “baseless”.

Mr Khashoggi went missing while visiting the consulate in Istanbul for papers to marry his Turkish fiancee.

The consulate insists he left its premises, contradicting Turkish officials. He had been living in the US in self-imposed exile since last year, in part due to the rise of Prince Mohammed, the son of King Salman.

As a contributor to the Washington Post, Mr Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia, including criticising its war in Yemen, its recent diplomatic row with Canada and its arrest of women’s rights activists after the ban on women driving was lifted. When asked about Mr Khashoggi yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “God willing, we will not be faced with the situation we do not desire.”

The growing dispute over his fate threatens relations

0 People hold posters of Jamal Khashoggi at a protest outside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul

between Saudi Arabia and Turkey and raises questions about the kingdom and the actions of its assertive Prince Mohammed.

Turan Kislakci, a friend of Mr Khashoggi and the head of the Turkish-arab Media Association, said outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that he believes Turkish officials will soon announce the findings

of their investigation. “What was explained to us is this: he was killed, make your funeral preparations,” Mr Kislakci said.

“We called a few other places – these are lower officials – but they said: ‘We have evidence he was killed in a barbaric way, we will announce it tomorrow or the day after.’”

The Washington Post report-

ed on the police’s theory, citing two anonymous sources.

“If the reports of Jamal’s murder are true, it is a monstrous and unfathomable act,” the paper’s page editor Fred Hiatt said.

“Jamal was – or, as we hope, is – a committed, courageous journalist.”