Turkey turns up heat over Khashoggi case

Turkey’s pro-government media published new claims on Monday on the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to reveal the “naked truth” about the case.

Erdogan said at the weekend he would give new details in a speech on Tuesday about the disappearance of Khashoggi, who was murdered almost three weeks ago after stepping inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

After over two weeks of near silence, Saudi Arabia has now admitted Khashoggi was killed in the consulate but the kingdom’s explanations are seen even by its allies as contradictory and unsatisfying.

The case has shone the spotlight on Crown Prince Mohammed, who has spearheaded a glitzy new reform drive for the kingdom but now faces a stream of allegations – denied by Riyadh – that he ordered the killing of the Washington Post contributor.

US President Donald Trump, who has resisted pressure to curb arms sales to Saudi Arabia, initially said Riyadh’s version of events was credible but then accused the kingdom of lying.

Turkish pro-government daily Yeni Safak said Saudi security official Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, the alleged leader of the operation, called a senior Saudi official, Bader al-Asaker, “four times after the murder.”

“The circle is tightening around the crown prince,” said one of its headlines.

Abdulkadir Selvi, whose columns in the Hurriyet daily are closely watched for indications of Erdogan’s thinking, gave what he said were new details.

He said Khashoggi was strangled by a Saudi assassination squad, in a process that took up to eight minutes.

Then Salah Muhammed Al-Tubaigy, a lieutenant-colonel in the Saudi forensic department, cut the body into 15 pieces while listening to music.