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ISTANBUL – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted that he had more evidence to publish regarding the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, announcing that Riyadh's attorney general would meet with Turkish authorities this weekend. end.
In a speech to his Justice and Development Party in Ankara, Erdogan once again tried to convince Saudi Arabia to give a credible explanation for what happened to Mr. Khashoggi, who was killed after he joined the consulate in Ankara. Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on October 2nd.
Erdogan urged Saudi Arabia to reveal the location of Khashoggi's body and to hand the suspects over to Turkey for prosecution. He said that he would disclose more evidence about the case at a later time, suggesting that the leaks campaign of nearly a month with the Turkish media would continue.
Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United States opposed what happened to the defunct Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, until Saudi Arabia confirmed that he had been killed in his consulate in Istanbul. This is the story of each country. Photo: George Downs / The Wall Street Journal
"It's not like we did not have more information and evidence … but there's no need to hurry up. First, Saudi officials will reveal who killed Khashoggi, "said Erdogan. "It is clear that he is murdered, but where is the body? You have to show it.
Erdogan has led a campaign of pressure against Saudi Arabia, Turkey's biggest regional rival, since Khashoggi's disappearance. The journalist was once a royal insider who subsequently wrote critically about the Saudi government and his daily leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
While the lost evidence, undermining the credibility of the Saudi explanations, the story of the kingdom has gradually moved closer to that of the Turkish authorities. Riyadh first stated that Mr. Khashoggi had left the consulate building without being injured, and had been accidentally killed in a fight with Saudi agents. On Thursday, Saudi officials said his murder seemed premeditated.
Erdogan spoke on the phone with Prince Mohammed on Wednesday for the first time since Khashoggi's death. The president said he told Prince Mohammed and King Salman that the Saudi authorities were to question the 18 men arrested for the murder to find out where Mr. Khashoggi's body was, or extradite him for a trial in Turkey.
"You know how to make them talk," Erdogan told the king and crown prince. "If you can not, deliver them to us and we'll try them."
Saudi explanations of Khashoggi's death have sparked widespread skepticism from world leaders, including President Trump, who told the Wall Street Journal this week that he did not rule out the possible involvement of Prince Mohammed. to the operation. "He's running things and so if someone were to be there, it would be him," he said.
Central Intelligence Agency director Gina Haspel on Thursday told Trump about her trip to Turkey earlier this week to examine evidence, including an audio recording of the murder and dismemberment of Mr. Khashoggi.
In his first public comments on Wednesday's assassination, 33-year-old Prince Mohammed described the killing as "a hideous incident" and promised that the perpetrators would be brought to justice, promising to cooperate. fully with the Turkish authorities.
The Saudis refused Thursday to give access to a well at the Istanbul consulate, which had become a focal point for Turkish investigators, according to Turkish media reports. Turkish investigators took a sample of sewage water connected to the consulate, the media reported.
Erdogan on Friday asked to know the identity of a "local collaborator" who, according to Saudi investigators, would have helped to get rid of Mr. Khashoggi's body.
"Who is the local collaborator? You have to explain this," said Erdogan.
Write to Sune Engel Rasmussen at [email protected]
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