Turkey has recordings to prove Khashoggi was killed: Reports

A delegation of Saudis is in Turkey as part of the probe into the disappearance of the Saudi critic; Trump wary of pulling investments

The Turkish government has told US officials it has audio and video recordings that prove columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul this month, the Washington Post reported, citing unidentified US and Turkish officials.

Recordings show a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, in the consulate before killing him and dismembering his body, the Post reported. The wellknown former Saudi insider had walked into the consulate on October 2 to obtain an official document before his upcoming wedding and hasn’t been seen since.

Turkish officials have said he was killed inside the consulate, a claim the Saudi government has vehemently denied.

“You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic,” the Post quoted one person with knowledge of the recording, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as saying. “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.”

A bipartisan group of US senators is forcing the Trump administration to investigate the disappearance of the journalist, triggering a human rights probe that could result in sanctions against Saudi officials and entities.

President Donald Trump has said Khashoggi’s disappearance was “a terrible thing and it certainly would not be a positive” for US-Saudi relations, but added that he didn’t want to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

“They’re spending $110 billion on military equipment and on things that create jobs ... for this country. I don’t like the concept of stopping an investment of $110 billion into the United States, because you know what they’re going to do? They’re going to take that money and spend it in Russia or China or someplace else,” he said.

His comments prompted pushback from members of the US Senate, including from some of his fellow Republicans, many of whom signed a letter on Wednesday forcing his administration to investigate the disappearance.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Turkey as part of an investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi, two Turkish sources said on Friday.

On Thursday, Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey had accepted a Saudi proposal to form a joint working group to investigate the case of Khashoggi, who has been missing since last week.

Turkish investigators were prepared to enter the consulate, a Turkish security official told

Reuters, but were awaiting final authorisation from the Saudis.

France demanded on Friday that Saudi Arabian authorities provide detailed and truthful answers over the fate of Khashoggi. The French government has hitherto been guarded in its reaction.