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 Oct. 2 for paperwork required to marry his Turkish fiancée. He has not been seen since.
Turkish 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 who gave testimony included the consul general’s driver, technicians, accountants andphone operators, according to state-run Anadolu Agency.
A journalist for The Associated Press saw a group of people leaving the consulate in a van. Later in the day, the same people were seen in video from a courthouse, where Turkish media said they had given testimony.
A Turkish official told AP that investigators are looking into the possibility that Khashoggi’s remains may have been taken outside Istanbul. Speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, the official said police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate left the building Oct. 2. One travelled to the Belgrade Forest on the city’s outskirts, while the other went to the city of Yalova, across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul, the official said.
It was not immediately clear if police had already searched those locations.
Turkish officials have released few details about the investigation, but pro-government media have published surveillance video and other material suggesting Khashoggi was killed by an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The prominent journalist had written columns critical of the Saudi government while living in selfimposed exile in the United States.
On Wednesday, the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi’s slaying, said the squad immediately accosted the journalist after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.
Saudi Arabia has not responded to requests for comment in recent days .