Turkey accuses Saudi Arabia of murdering political journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Turkish soil
Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi PC: POMED via Flickr
On October 2nd at 1:30 pm, Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, entered the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Turkey and has not been heard from since. Turkish authorities and international media claim Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi officials for his dissenting views.
Living in the US, Khashoggi regularly wrote for the Washington Post, and has been critical of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. Three days before he visited the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to receive documents for his upcoming wedding, he told BBC Newshour he feared he’d “be able to go home,” explaining that the Saudi regime regularly arrests and punishes political dissidents.
BBC has now released audio of the interview.
Three days before he disappeared, we interviewed Jamal Khashoggi. Off air, we asked him about the possibility of returning to Saudi Arabia. We wouldn't normally release this conversation but we've decided to make an exception in light of the circumstances. https://t.co/Qj9pQ2ExbP pic.twitter.com/cmWimMj93H
— BBC Newshour (@BBCNewshour) October 8, 2018
Turkey is now accusing Saudi Arabia of murdering, dismembering, and removing the body from the building in parts to avoid suspicion. A Turkish authority alleges that a group of 15 Saudi officials came to the Consulate on two planes and left on the same day Khashoggi entered the building.
“The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr. Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul,” another Turkish official told Reuters.