‘DOUBLE’ CROSS
Saudi decoy in Jamal’s clothes
A body double posing as Jamal Khashoggi reportedly wore the journalist’s clothes and glasses and a fake beard while leaving the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul the day the writer was killed — but blew his cover by wearing his own sneakers.
On Monday, CNN broadcast surveillance video of the man — whom a Turkish official identified as Mustafa al-Madani — clad in the Saudi dissident’s dark blazer, gray shirt opened at the collar and trousers as he left through a back door on Oct. 2.
He took a cab to the Turkish city’s Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly known as the Blue Mosque, accompanied by a man wearing a black hooded sweat shirt and holding a white plastic bag.
Madani entered a public bathroom, changed back into his old clothes and left after disposing of the plastic bag, which Turkish officials believe contained Khashoggi’s clothes, according to CNN.
The two men were later seen laughing as they arrived at the Mövenpick Hotel, The Washington Post reported.
Four hours earlier, a beardless Madani had entered the consulate through the front door wearing a blue plaid shirt, dark-blue trousers and the same pair of dark sneakers with white soles.
Madani, 57, was used as a decoy for Khashoggi, 59, because of his similar height, age and build, the Turkish official told CNN.
Madani has been de- scribed as a member of the Saudi kingdom’s intelligence agency.
President Trump, meanwhile, said that he was not satisfied with Saudi Arabia’s explanations for Khashoggi’s death and that he should know more when US officials return from there and Turkey.
“They’re coming back tonight, tomorrow, and I will know very soon. I am not satisfied with what I’ve heard,” Trump told reporters, adding he had spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
It was reported Monday that Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to the crown prince in charge of his social media, had been accused of ordering Khashoggi’s killing.
Qahtani, 40, was allegedly Skyped into the consulate for Khashoggi’s interrogation, during which he berated the journalist and grew enraged when he snapped back, Reuters reported, citing two intelligence sources.
“Bring me the head of the dog,” Qahtani instructed the 15 Saudi operatives who had flown for the interrogation, according to Reuters.
The report described Qahtani — who was fired by King Salman Saturday — as one of the fall guys in the case, as Riyadh tries to quell international outrage over Khashoggi’s death.
But it’ll be hard for the kingdom to paint Qahtani as the mastermind of the murder when he himself has said he would never do anything without the prince’s approval.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he plans to release information about the killing during a Tuesday press conference.
CIA Director Gina Haspel will travel to Turkey to aid in the investigation.