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Erin Cunningham
A reporter from the Middle East covering Iran, Turkey, Syria and the wider region
John Wagner
National journalist heads up the political press team at The Post newspaper
ISTANBUL – President Trump said Thursday that it appeared that Jamal Khashoggi was dead and warned that his administration might consider "very harsh" measures against Saudi Arabia, thus increasing pressure on the kingdom while he prepares his own account of the journalist's disappearance.
Trump's remarks reflect the White House's hesitant strategies and opinions about his reaction and possible sanctions against one of his key Middle East allies.
Trump said any US action on Khashoggi's disappearance must take into account the US's security and defense ties with the kingdom. But Trump also faces international fury and is calling on Republican ranks to take a tougher stance in Saudi Arabia.
While he was taking a plane to Montana for a political rally, a reporter asked Trump when he thought Khashoggi was dead.
"It seems to me that way," he said. "It's very sad."
He added that Saudi Arabia could face a "very severe" response from the United States based on the results of investigations that include a self-led investigation by the kingdom into the disappearance of Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and Washington Post columnist, was last seen in public entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd.
"I mean, it's bad, it's bad. But we'll see what happens, "said Trump.
The United States is trapped between two long-standing partners.
According to Turkish officials, there is evidence that Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents. Saudi leaders deny having any knowledge of Khashoggi's fate but have promised to conduct their own investigation into the case.
[Mnuchin joins international snub of Saudi investor conference]
However, it is unclear whether self-organized investigations or conclusions led by the Saudis can allay the international anger over Khashoggi's disappearance. And any finding of Saudi Arabia could spark immediate skepticism about a country where leaders are usually involved in all important decisions.
A senior White House official said Saudi officials were considering accusing Khashoggi of Major-General Ahmed al-Assiri, deputy head of Saudi intelligence and close adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Al-Assiri is alleged to have organized a spurious operation to kill Khashoggi, which would deflect the responsibility of the Crown Prince, who is the de facto ruler of the kingdom. The person spoke under the guise of anonymity because she is not allowed to speak on behalf of the Saudi administration or government. Assiri did not immediately respond to calls and messages asking for comments.
Prior to his assignment to intelligence, Assiri was for two years the public face of Saudi Arabia's military intervention in the war in Yemen. Assiri, who speaks fluent French and English, held regular press briefings on the state of the battle, unusual for the Middle East, and aimed to promote the professionalism of the effort of Saudi war.
But while the Saudi Arabian bombing campaign was increasingly criticized for what human rights groups described as a reckless attitude towards civilian casualties, Assiri to questions about the balance sheet of civilians only reinforce the feeling that the Saudis were riders. "Why should we recognize something that does not exist?", He told a reporter in 2015 to find out if the Saudi coalition strikes had killed non-combatants, despite growing evidence. more numerous.
Assiri was replaced as spokesman in July 2017, according to the al-Arabiya news channel, owned by Saudis.
Trump said the White House should have a Saudi account of the Khashoggi case "very soon".
"And I think we will make a statement, a very strong statement. But we are waiting for the results of about three different surveys and we should be able to get to the bottom of things pretty quickly, "said Trump, apparently referring to investigations by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
In an interview with the New York Times on Thursday afternoon, Trump expressed confidence in intelligence reports from multiple sources, which strongly suggest a leading role in the Khashoggi assassination in Saudi Arabia.
"Unless the miracle of all miracles happens, I recognize that he's dead," Trump said. "It depends on everything – information from all sides."
The comments also evoke a possible harder position of the White House after sending a whole series of conflicting signals. Last week, Trump left open the idea that "dishonest killers" had led a possible attack on Khashoggi and also warned of a race of judgment by Saudi leaders.
Earlier Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had urged the White House to leave "a few more days" to Saudi Arabia to release its own report on Khashoggi, even as the Turkish police broadened its investigation considerably.
The Turkish authorities have announced that they would look for at least two rural areas outside of Istanbul, local news agencies and a Turkish official said.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday that he would join many other political leaders and company executives who are canceling their participation in a major investment forum organized by the Saudi press. in the Khashoggi case. .
Mnuchin made the announcement after consulting Trump and Pompeo. A few hours earlier, French, British and Dutch finance chiefs announced that they would not attend the Riyadh conference.
Trump finally agreed that Mnuchin is giving the lecture.
"You can not give the Saudis the seal of approval of Good Housekeeping by letting Mnuchin go to the conference," said an administration advisor, who spoke under the guise of "the day. anonymity to discuss internal discussions.
When asked why the Saudis should be trusted to conduct a fair investigation, Pompeo – who had talks this week in Riyadh and Ankara, the capital of Turkey – only said that US authorities would evaluate the Saudi report in order to to determine if "it is really accurate, fair and equitable. transparent "as promised during Pompeo's talks in Riyadh.
Meanwhile, in Turkey, police are examining the disappearance of 59-year-old Khashoggi – who, according to them, was killed in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul by a team of Saudi agents – examines currently security images taken at the entrances to the Belgrad Forest in Istanbul. 15 km north of the city center, Turkish media reported.
[Secret recordings give insight into Saudi attempts to silence critics]
They also expect to search the agricultural land of the Turkish province of Yalova, located about 100 kilometers from Istanbul.
A Turkish official confirmed that investigators had broadened their search for Khashoggi's body to "gardens" around the Istanbul area. The official spoke under the condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to discuss the details of the case.
So far, the investigation has focused on the consulate in Istanbul's Levent district and the adjoining residence of Saudi consul general Mohammed al-Otaibi, who left Turkey this week.
Nevertheless, leaks of Turkish officials to foreign and local media have kept the focus on the Khashoggi case.
Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah released footage of Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb's closed circuit television on Thursday – an apparent member of Saudi security services who may have traveled with the crown prince – before the consulate on the day of the disappearance. from Khashoggi. Other pictures show the passage of Mutreb in an Istanbul hotel and Ataturk Airport in Istanbul a few hours after the last visit of Khashoggi in public.
Mutreb also appears to have been photographed with the Crown Prince during trips to France, Spain and the United States. A British document from 2007 mentions a man of the same name working as a diplomat in London.
[Amid global outrage over Khashoggi, Trump takes softer path]
Turkish investigators claimed that they thought that Khashoggi had been killed by a Saudi hitting squad of 15 Saudi people shortly after he entered the consulate for an administrative mission on Oct. 2 and his body dismembered.
On Thursday, the investigators left the consulate after a second search of the land, reported the private Turkish news agency DHA. Turkey has not officially published any evidence to support its claims that a team of Saudi agents allegedly killed Khashoggi.
Read more:
Crown prince under examination in the disappearance of a journalist even as Saudis seek exculpatory explanations
Saudi Arabia Transfers $ 100 Million to the United States in the Context of the Khashoggi Crisis
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