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On October 2, the Washington Post columnist was seen in public when he entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Earlier, the Saudi authorities had claimed that Khashoggi had left the consulate the same afternoon of his visit, but they had not provided any evidence to support this claim.
Trump's words may be an attempt to support Riyadh's attempts to distance himself from the possible killing of Khashoggi. He spoke after sending State Secretary Mike Pompeo to Riyadh, where he is expected to meet with Saudi King Salman on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
One source said the report would likely conclude that the operation was carried out without authorization and transparency and that those involved would be held responsible. A source acknowledged that the report is still in preparation and warned that things could change.
On Monday, conflicting information about Khashoggi's disappearance prompted his family to request an investigation.
"The strong moral and legal responsibility that our father inculcated us forces us to call for the creation of an independent and impartial international commission to investigate the circumstances of his death," they said in a statement.
They added that they "sadly and anxiously followed contradictory information about our father's fate after losing contact with him two weeks ago, when he disappeared after entering the consulate of India." 39, Saudi Arabia to Istanbul ".
Government repression
The disappearance of Khashoggi, former insider of the Saudi king turned critic of the regime and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, comes in the wake of a wave of arrests of Saudi critics allegedly led by the king's son. .
The crackdown targeted religious, journalists, academics and activists, some of whom were detained outside of Saudi Arabia.
If the Kingdom claims that the killing of Khashoggi is the result of unskilled agents leading a botched interrogation and arrest operation, the international attention will probably turn to a group of Saudis that the Turkish authorities would support being at the origin of his disappearance.
The Turkish authorities said that they thought that 15 Saudis who arrived in Istanbul on October 2 were linked to the disappearance of Khashoggi and his possible assassination. At least some of them seem to have high level relations within the Saudi government.
The movements of Salah Muhammed al-Tubaiqi, who is listed on an official Saudi health website as head of the department of forensics of the Ministry of the Interior.
If the autopsy specialist left Saudi Arabia for Istanbul before Khashoggi entered the consulate, one could deduce that all murder was premeditated and not the result of botched interrogation.
On Friday, a source close to the investigation told CNN that the Turkish authorities had sound and visual evidence showing that journalist Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate.
Khashoggi entered the consulate to collect the necessary paperwork for her marriage to Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting for her in front of the consulate and said she had not seen him return.
Smooth the friction
However, King Salman has called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this weekend to discuss the case. The two leaders agreed on a joint working group to examine the journalist's disappearance.
On Monday night, CNN reporters saw Turkish investigators, including forensic police officers, entering the consulate where they stayed nine hours before leaving. The Saudi authorities have authorized the search of the premises, told CNN a Turkish diplomatic source. The police were seen cordoning off the area before the investigators arrived. The Turkish authorities also wanted to search the residence of the consul general.
But we still did not know what evidence would remain nearly two weeks after Khashoggi's disappearance. CNN reporters saw a cleaning team enter the consulate earlier Monday before the arrival of the investigators.
Trump's suggestion that dishonest agents might be responsible for his disappearance was made after a phone call with King Salman.
"It was not like there was a question in his mind." The denial was very strong, "said Trump about the king.
"We will try to get to the bottom of things very soon," added Trump. "But it was a flat denial."
Last week, Trump said he was reluctant to take action, especially with regard to the sale of weapons. "There are other things we can do," he told reporters at the White House.
The United States signed a defense deal of nearly $ 110 billion with Saudi Arabia in May 2017, when Trump made Saudi Arabia a stop on his first trip to the United States. foreign as president. The judgment was seen, in part, as a recognition of the strong relationship between Trump, Jared Kushner – his son-in-law and senior advisor – and bin Salman.
However, the UK, France and Germany have demanded a "credible investigation" on the case and international companies are pulling out of the Future Investment Initiative conference.
Nicknamed "Davos in the Desert" and due to take place later this month in Riyadh, it will be hosted by the Saudi de facto ruler, Prince bin Salman.
Moreover, the Congress, which has a difficult relationship with Saudi Arabia, can defeat any effort not to overemphasize the issue.
On Monday, Democratic lawmakers criticized Trump for using the term "dishonest killers".
"Absolutely extraordinary, they were able to hire the president of the United States as a public relations officer to make it float," he added.
In addition, the Turkish government has put its credibility on the case, Erdogan stating that he "continues" the investigation.
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