Khashoggi strangled: prosecutor

ISTANBUL: Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled to death and his body dismembered soon after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, the Turkish prosecutor’s office says.

Khashoggi’s body parts were disposed of after being dismembered, the office said in a report obtained by Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.

The report appeared to confirm media reports that had been coming out of Turkey since Khashoggi’s death.

‘‘The body of Khashoggi has been dismembered after being killed in the Saudi Consulate,’’ the office said in a statement.

Saudi officials provided no information on any ‘‘local collaborator’’ involved in the killing of Khashoggi, the statement added. Media outlets have quoted a Saudi official as saying the body had been given to someone for disposal.

In Washington yesterday, both Republican and Democratic senators asked President Donald Trump to suspend civilian nuclear energy talks with Saudi Arabia over the killing.

Five Republican lawmakers, led by Senator Marco Rubio, said in a letter to Trump they would use the Atomic Energy Act to block any USSaudi nuclear agreements if Trump did not cut off talks.

‘‘The ongoing revelations about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as certain Saudi actions related to Yemen and Lebanon, have raised further serious concerns about the transparency, accountability and judgement of current decisionmakers in Saudi Arabia,’’ the senators wrote.

‘‘We therefore request that you suspend any related negotiations for a USSaudi civil nuclear agreement for the foreseeable future,’’ said the lawmakers, who included senators Cory Gardner,

Rand Paul, Dean Heller and Todd Young.

In addition, Democratic Senator Edward Markey wrote another letter to Trump calling for a suspension of discussions on civilian nuclear cooperation with Saudi Arabia, and for the administration to revoke any approvals for the transfer of nuclear services, technology or assistance to the kingdom.

Markey said in his letter that cooperation between nations, particularly on nuclear energy, must be based on trust and shared values, but Saudi Arabia’s actions ‘‘have made it clear that any nuclear cooperation with its government does not currently meet that bar’’. — Reuters/TCA

❛ . . . revelations about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as certain Saudi actions related to Yemen and Lebanon, have raised further serious concerns about the transparency,

accountability and judgement of current decisionmakers in

Saudi Arabia