Khashoggi’s final words: ‘I can’t breathe’
Saudi Arabia rejects demands to extradite suspects in the murder
Jamal Khashoggi’s final words were “I can’t breathe,” CNN said on Sunday, citing a source who has read the transcript of an audio tape of the final moments before the journalist’s murder.
The source told the US network the transcript made clear the killing was premeditated, and suggests several phone calls were made to give briefings on the progress.
CNN said Turkish officials believed those calls were made to top officials in Riyadh.
Khashoggi, a Saudi contributor to The Washington Post, was killed shortly after entering the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Gruesome recording
The transcript of the gruesome recording includes descriptions of Khashoggi struggling against his murderers, CNNsaid, and references sounds of the dissident journalist’s body “being dismembered by a saw.”
The original transcript was prepared by Turkish intelligence services, and CNN said its source read a translation version and was briefed on the probe into the journalist’s death.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister on Sunday rejected demands to extradite suspects connected to the murder of Khashoggi as sought by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Hand over suspects
“We do not extradite our citizens,” Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference in Riyadh at the end of a summit of Gulf Cooperation Council states.
Erdogan has repeatedly called on Saudi Arabia to hand over suspects in the killing.
“The Turkish authorities have not been as forthcoming as we believe they should have been,” said Jubeir, saying Riyadh was presented with information that had already been leaked to the media.
“We have asked our friends in Turkey to provide us with evidence that we can use in a court of law. We have not received it in the manner that it should have been received.”
According to Turkey, a 15member Saudi team was sent to Istanbul to kill Khashoggi.
Erdogan has said the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government, but had insisted it was not King Salman.
Saudi not cooperating
The Turkish leader insisted last weekend during a trip to South America that Riyadh hand over the suspects, but said the kingdom was not cooperating.
Riyadh has since detained 21 people over the murder.
Despite speculation that the powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ordered the hit, the kingdom has strongly denied he was involved.
A Turkish court on Wednes- day issued arrest warrants for former Saudi intelligence chief Ahmad al-Assiri and former adviser to the royal court Saud alQahtani, at the request of Istanbul’s chief prosecutor.
‘Rogue’ operation
Assiri often sat in during Prince Mohammed’s closed-door meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries andQahtani was a key counselor to the crown prince.
Both were sacked after Riyadh admitted Khashoggi was killed in its consulate.
Saudi Arabia, however, holds that it was a “rogue” operation gone wrong—a claim undercut by the reported transcript.
For his part US President Donald Trump has refrained from blaming Prince Mohammed, even though the Central Intelligence Agency reportedly concluded that he ordered the assassination.
The murder has damaged Riyadh’s international reputation and Western countries including the United States, France and Canada have placed sanctions on nearly 20 Saudi nationals.
Qahtani was among 17 Saudi officials targeted by sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department in mid-November for “his role in preparing for the operation” against the journalist.