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ISTANBUL – His killers were waiting when Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. They sliced her fingers during an interrogation and then decapitated and decapitated her, according to information extracted from audio recordings released Wednesday in Turkish media.
Everything was over in a few minutes, suggested the recordings.
A senior Turkish official confirmed the news published in the pro-government daily Yeni Safak.
On the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo went to Turkey, the Turkish government intensified pressure on Saudi Arabia and the United States to get an answer on the fate of prominent dissident journalist Khashoggi. writes for the Washington Post.
Fifteen days after he entered the Istanbul consulate and where he has never been seen going out, the Saudis have not yet given any explanation.
Senior Saudi officials have repeatedly denied any involvement in Khashoggi's demise – repeated denials to Pompeo during his visit to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
A team of 15 Saudi agents, some with links with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, waiting for Mr. Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate upon his arrival, around 1:15 pm on October 2nd.
After being taken to the office of the Saudi consul, Mohammad al-Otaibi, the agents seized Mr. Khashoggi almost immediately and began beating and torturing him, finally cutting off his fingers, said a spokesman. senior Turkish official.
Do it outside. You will put me in trouble, "said the consul, al-Otaibi, according to a Turkish official and the report of Yeni Safak, citing audio recordings allegedly obtained by the Turkish intelligence services.
"If you want to live when you come back to Arabia, shut up," said one of the agents, according to the official and the newspaper.
"Terrible tortures were committed on Khashoggi, who came to the consulate to obtain documents," said Yeni Safak's account.
When they cut off Mr. Khashoggi's head and dismembered his body, a medical examiner who had been brought in for dissection and scrapping had some advice to give to others, according to a senior Turkish official.
Listen to music, he tells them, putting on headphones himself. That's what he did to ease the tension when doing such work, said the manager, describing the content of the audio recording.
Such information would not have been disclosed in Turkey without the consent of the Government. Turkish media and newspapers are tightly controlled: they are either controlled by the government or held by pro-government business leaders. Censors are often present in newsrooms, and journalists and editors are given specific instructions by the presidents.
Turkish leaks involving Saudi officials in the Khashoggi case followed a distinctive pattern, which began soon after his disappearance. The leaks stopped when President Trump suggested that he was take the accusations seriously and send Mr. Pompeo to Saudi Arabia for answers.
But the leaks seemed to resume after the Saudi leaders repeated that they denied any involvement on the part of Mr. Pompeo and that Mr. Trump had defended the crown prince from being unfairly accused.
