iTWIST IN JOURNO’S ‘MURDER’
He recorded his own killing: report
The journalist who was allegedly killed inside a Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul used his Apple Watch to record his own grisly slaying, according to a report published Saturday.
Turkish authorities say Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government who had legal US residency, was killed by a 15-member Saudi “assassination squad.”
He’s been missing since he visited the consulate on Oct. 2.
In the latest twist, Turkish authorities allegedly accessed Khashoggi’s iPhone and iCloud account to recover audio that the journalist had recorded with his Apple Watch, the Turkish newspaper Sabah reported.
Last week, a person with knowledge of the Khashoggi case told The Washington Post, “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.” It was not clear if that person was talking about the purported Apple Watch recording or other audio.
Turkey also claims to have video of the killing, but hasn’t released any footage or explained how it was acquired.
Tech experts doubted that Turkish officials could have gotten audio from Khashoggi’s Apple Watch, noting the device has to be near an iPhone to sync — and he had handed his two phones to his fiancée before entering the consulate. Experts said newer Apple Watch models can upload data to cloud accounts if the devices are con- nected to the Internet via Wi-Fi or a kind of cellular connection not available in Turkey.
Sabah reported that Saudi officials tried to delete Khashoggi’s recordings by using his fingerprint to unlock his smart watch.
Apple Watches do not have that function, a detail the newspaper didn’t note.
Saudi Arabia called claims that it killed Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, “baseless.”
“What has been circulating about orders to kill him are lies and baseless allegations against the government of the kingdom,” Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud said in a Saturday statement.
Khashoggi is considered close to the Saudi royal family, but has written critically of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the rest of the government.
Khashoggi’s fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, said he wasn’t nervous when he walked into the consulate to get paperwork required for their marriage.
“He said, ‘See you later, my darling,’ and went in,” Cengiz told The Associated Press, saying Turkish authorities had not told her of any recordings.
President Trump threatened Saudi Arabia with “severe punishment” for the alleged killing.
He told “60 Minutes” in an interview set to air in full Sunday that the US is investigating, stressing that the Saudis have denied all wrongdoing, but said, “Could it be them? Yes.”