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Jamal Khashoggi participates in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2011. (Virginia Mayo / AP)
ISTANBUL – A spokesman for the ruling party, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, promised on Saturday that Turkey would "unveil what happened" to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a few hours after the Saudi authorities said the columnist contributing to the Washington Post had been killed earlier in the month in Istanbul.
"We do not blame anyone in advance, but we do not consent to this being hidden," Omar Celik, spokesman for the ruling party, told the semi-official Anadolu news agency. .
[Saudi claims that Khashoggi died in a ‘brawl’ draw immediate skepticism]
Turkey's reaction to Saudi Arabia's admission is being carefully monitored due to contradictory testimony and the fact that the Turkish authorities would hold evidence, including audio tapes, that could reveal exactly how Khashoggi was killed. The Erdogan government has so far refused to publicly reveal this evidence, presumably to protect Turkish surveillance methods, but also, according to analysts, to preserve some influence over the Saudis and the Trump government, which tried to protect their Saudi allies.
[Turkey’s president pressured the Saudis to account for Khashoggi’s death]
Khashoggi, a resident of Virginia, disappeared on the afternoon of October 2, after going to the consulate of Saudi Arabia to obtain documents allowing him to remarry. For weeks, Saudi Arabia denied knowing where he was and insisted he had escaped unscathed from the consulate. The denials have become more difficult to maintain given that the Turkish authorities have leaked to local and international investigators details of the investigation, many of which are sneaky.
Saudi history changed early on Saturday, when the government recognized for the first time that Khashoggi, who had written articles for The Post criticizing Saudi rulers, was dead. Saudi authorities said they had fired five top officials and arrested 18 other Saudi nationals following the preliminary investigation. Two of the close advisers to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were among those fired.
[What we know about the 15 Saudis said to have played a role in the Khashoggi case]
Turkish investigators are still searching for Khashoggi's body, which they say was cut to pieces after his assassination. Saturday's Saudi statements do not deal with what happened to the body.
Read more:
Khashoggi's latest column: What the Arab world needs most is freedom of expression
Khashoggi's rally is galvanizing criticism of Saudi arms sales
The Saudi electronic army overwhelms Twitter with insults and falsehoods against Khashoggi
Today's coverage of Swiss Post correspondents around the world
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