Erdoğan says people behind Khashoggi's murder have been protected | News from the world

A game is being played to protect a person involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, said the Turkish president.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he had shared information with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron over the weekend that the two European leaders had not known before.

Erdoğan's remarks have been interpreted as the most acute attempt he has made to suggest that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would have erased the killing of Khashoggi inside the consulate. from Saudi Arabia to Istanbul on October 2nd.

Over the past 15 days, the Saudis have changed their story by accepting that the murder of a Washington Post editorialist is premeditated, but they claim that the 15 Saudi officials who went to Istanbul acted without authority or the knowledge of Bin Salman. Investigations are underway in Saudi Arabia, along with three other personalities, including the deputy chief of intelligence.

The Turkish President's comments also suggest that any Western efforts to resolve the dispute between Turkey and Saudi Arabia be relegated to the background in Ankara, and that Turkey is trying to dislodge or weaken Bin Salman. his unprecedented power in Riyadh.

The highest prosecutor of Saudi Arabia, Saud al Mujeb, went to the Istanbul consulate on Tuesday.

Erdoğan told reporters: "Who sent these 15 people? As Saudi Attorney General, you need to ask this question in order to reveal it.

"We must now resolve this case. No need to procrastinate, it makes no sense trying to save some people. We can not let this topic end midway.

Al-Mujeb arrived at the consulate after visiting the main court house in Istanbul for the second time as part of an investigation into the killing.

During the meeting, Turkish official sources said that he should receive a 150-page record including interviews with 45 consulate employees and Khashoggi's phone records with consulate officials.

Although not all the evidence collected by the Turks was transmitted to Saudi Arabia, other sources reportedly informed Saudi Arabia's leadership of the quality of the information provided, including the extent to which the consul general bleeding and Crown Prince's office during the interrogation of Khashoggi inside the consulate.

In the House of Commons, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has refused to be inspired by the weekend report that MI6 previously knew that the Saudis intended to kidnap or kill Khashoggi. According to the Express newspaper, the UK's foreign intelligence services were made aware of the Riyadh plan three weeks before its execution.

"I do not comment on the intelligence services, but I had absolutely no knowledge of the terrible killing of Khashoggi and I am as shocked as everyone else," said the foreign secretary.

Shadow Foreign Minister Emily Thornberry twice asked Hunt to indicate whether British intelligence services were aware of the Saudi plan. He also invited him to provide urgent evidence in camera before the Intelligence and Security Committee.

He said he would consider such an invitation, but insisted that it would not be appropriate for him to comment publicly on the work of the intelligence services.

Hunt insisted that he had spoken more clearly than any other European Foreign Minister on the fact that if the allegations proved true, Saudi Arabia would have shown that it shared the values from the United Kingdom.

Middle East Minister, Alistair Burt, also rejected calls to end British arms sales to Saudi Arabia and denied that the Saudis had invaded Yemen. Rather, they supported the government recognized by the UN.