Erdogan demands Saudis reveal where body of slain journalist Khashoggi lies

THE Saudi officials who killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in their Istanbul consulate must reveal the location of his body, Turkey’s president said as he sharply criticised the kingdom’s handling of the case.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor will arrive in Turkey tomorrow as part of the investigation and will meet Turkish counterparts.

On Thursday, Saudi prosecutors said Mr Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, citing Turkish evidence and changing the country’s account again to try to ease international outrage over the murder of a prominent critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Turkey has other “information and evidence” about the killing by Saudi officials after Mr Khashoggi entered the consulate on October 2, and it will eventually reveal that information, Mr Erdogan said.

“There is no point in being too hasty,” he said in a sign that Turkey is prepared to maintain pressure on Saudi Arabia, even as the kingdom struggles for ways to end the crisis.

CIA director Gina Haspel was in Turkey earlier this week to review evidence, and she briefed Donald Trump in Washington.

What the US president called “one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups” was revealed to the world by Turkish leaks of information, including references to purported audio recordings of the killing, and security camera footage of the Saudi officials involved as they moved around Istanbul.

Key mysteries remaining include whether the killing was carried out with the knowledge of the crown prince, who denies it, and the location of Mr Khashoggi’s body.

“It is clear that he has been killed but where is it? You have to show the body,” Mr Erdogan said in an address to his ruling party leaders.

He criticised initial Saudi statements that claimed Mr Khashoggi had left the consulate unharmed after going there for paperwork related to his planned marriage to a Turkish woman.

“He will leave the consulate and not take his fiancee with him? Such childish statements do not go hand in hand with statesmanship,” said Mr Erdogan

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„ President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday.