Erdogan accuses 'highest levels' of Saudi govt

JAMAL KHASHOGGI. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses the highest levels of Saudi Arabia for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. File photo shows protesters holding pictures of Khashoggi during a demonstration. Photo by Ozan Kose / AFP

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the order to murder Jamal Khashoggi came from "the highest levels" of the Saudi government Friday, November 2, he promised no let-up in the hunt for his killers. (READ: Penalties on Khashoggi killer weeks away – Pompeo)

A month on from Khashoggi's murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Erdogan said he did not believe King Salman was to blame.

But he pointedly failed to absolve Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of responsibility for unleashing a "death squad" against the outspoken Saudi journalist whose death has badly tainted the kingdom's de facto ruler. (READ: Khashoggi strangled and dismembered in consulate – Turkish prosecutor)

And in an editorial for Khashoggi's The Washington PostErdogan accused of having to answer questions about the murder, despite their arrest of 18 suspects a fortnight ago.

Erdogan's comments were made in lieu of an attempt to leave the body of the deceased dead.

"As a result of our efforts, the world has learned that Khashoggi has been killed by a death squad, and it has Erdogan wrote in his premeditation The Post.

"We know that the perpetrators are among the 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia." Kill Khashoggi and leave. the Saudi government. "

But he said that he would not be able to answer these questions, "such as the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body and who ordered his murder."

The murder of the royal insider-turned-dissident has provoked widespread outrage and sharp criticism from Washington, usually the staunchest of allies.

While President Donald Trump has ruled out halting arms deal with Riyadh as a punishment, his administration has effectively withdrawn support for the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen in a stark illustration of the cooling of ties.

'Body dissolved'

Addressing mourners at a memorial service in Washington on Friday, November 2, The murdered journalist's fiancee called on Trump to back Turkey's efforts to investigate his death.

"I would like to send this message to Mr Trump:" I would like to send you a message to the United States, "Hatice Cengiz said in a recorded message.

Turkey's chief prosecutor said this week that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the consulate and also confirmed the body was dismembered.

Yasin Aktay, an advisor to Erdogan, hinted in an article published on Friday.

"We now see that it was not just cut up, they got rid of the body by dissolving it," an official in Turkey's ruling party, he told the Hurriyet newspaper.

"According to the latest information we have the reason they cut the body is easier to dissolve it."

A Turkish official has already told The Post that "biological evidence" found in the consulate garden has been reported.

Saudi authorities have denied Turkish police permission to search, but allowed them to take water samples for analysis, according to local reports.

The murder has strained the decades-old alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia, with Trump calling it "one of the worst cover-ups in history".

Saudi Arabia 'must remain stable'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country shares Riyadh's hostility to Iran, condemned the murder but stressed the need for stability in Saudi Arabia.

"It is very important for the stability of the world, for the region and for the world, that Saudi Arabia remains stable," Netanyahu told reporters on Friday.

After initially insisting Khashoggi left the consulate unharmed, then saying he died in a brawl during an interview gone wrong, the Saudi regime was killed, blaming a "rogue operation".

The crown prince has denounced the murder as "repulsive" and denied any involvement. – Rappler.com