Istanbul :In a startling revelation, Turkish official have said Saudi Arabia’s top leadership ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, 59, was reportedly killed within two hours of arriving at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, reported NYT.
Khashoggi was ‘cut up with bone saw’ at consulate in Istanbul, revealed the paper quoting Turkish daily Sabah.
Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi counsulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain a document certifying he had divorced his ex-wife, only to never be seen since.
Turkish sources have told media outlets that they believe the Saudi writer and critic was killed inside the consulate in what they describe as a “premeditated murder”.
Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have denied the allegations, insisting that Khashoggi left the consulate freely shortly after he arrived. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has demanded that the Saudis provide evidence proving their claim.
Security camera footage showed Khashoggi entering the consulate shortly after 1 p.m. that day. Cengiz, his fiancée, waited outside, and she has said he never emerged.
Two and a half hours after he entered the facility, six vehicles with diplomatic license plates pulled out, carrying 15 Saudi officials and intelligence officers, Sabah reported
Meanwhile US President Donald Trump said the US is “demanding” answers from Saudi Arabia about Khashoggi and wants to bring his fiancée to the White House.
Also Turkish media have published images of an alleged 15-member Saudi “assassination squad” and video of suspicious movements at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul following Khashoggi’s disappearance.