Saudis apologize to writer’s kin
Report: Cover-up used body double at embassy
Saudi King Salman and Prince Mohammed have called the son of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi to express condolences for the death of his father, the Saudi Press Agency said Monday.
Salah Khashoggi spoke with the Saudi leaders separately and “expressed his sincere thanks” for their condolences, the agency said.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir called Khashoggi’s death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul a “huge and grave mistake” and promised that those responsible will be punished. He adamantly denied the Saudi leaders were involved.
“This is a terrible tragedy,” Jubeir told Fox News on Sunday. “There obviously was a tremendous mistake made, and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up. That is unacceptable in any government.”
Video footage showed Khashoggi entering, but no video ever showed him leaving. CNN on Monday published consulate surveillance footage that revealed what a senior Turkish official described as a Saudi operative dressed up in Khashoggi’s clothes. USA TODAY has viewed some of the footage but cannot verify what is shown.
The man, whom the Turkish official who spoke to CNN alleges was a body double, is seen leaving the consulate by the back door, dressed like Khashoggi and wearing what appears to be a fake beard and glasses.
The same man, allegedly part of what investigators have said was a hit squad sent to kill the journalist, was later seen around the city. The senior official says it appears the man was part of a cover-up plan, making it appear that Khashoggi left the consulate alive.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he will reveal details of Khashoggi’s slaying in a speech Tuesday before his parliament.
Khashoggi, a Saudi and contributor for The Washington Post, had drawn the ire of his government for repeated criticisms of the prince, of King Salman and of Saudi involvement in the war in Yemen. Khashoggi disappeared Oct. 2 after entering the consulate to obtain documents his marriage.