Turkish police says an audio recording in their possession reveals that Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered while in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul as Riyadh repeats its claims over having no knowledge of his fate.
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“Turkish police have an audio recording that indicates that Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate” the Reuters quoted the two sources speaking on condition of anonymity as saying on Monday, giving no further details.
Turkey's probe into the disappearance of Khashoggi has reportedly revealed recordings made on his Apple Watch, which was synced with his iPhone being carried outside the consulate by Khashoggi's fiancée.
Turkish officials have reportedly shared with Washington the contents of video and audio recordings that allegedly contain evidence supporting claims that the journalist was murdered by the Saudi government.
Saudi Arabia has strongly denounced the murdering allegations, branding them as a bunch of “lies.”
Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of the Saudi government, had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since 2017, when Saudi authorities launched a massive crackdown on dissent. He was seeking to secure documentation for his forthcoming marriage when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, but never came out despite Riyadh’s claim that he exited the mission less than an hour after entering.
His fiancée waited outside the consulate for hours without hearing from him, prompting her to report his disappearance to Istanbul police. Ankara says there is no proof Khashoggi left the consulate.
Meanwhile, as diplomatic pressure is growing on Riyadh to give a fuller explanation, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued an order for launching an internal investigation into the unexplained disappearance of the 60-year-old journalist.
“The king has ordered the public prosecutor to open an internal investigation into the Khashoggi matter based on the information from the joint team in Istanbul,” an unnamed official was quoted by Reuters as saying.
Last week, Ankara accepted a Saudi proposal to establish a joint working group to probe into Khashoggi's disappearance.
Later on Monday, Turkish police investigators entered Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate in Istanbul, two weeks after the disappearance of Khashoggi, Reuters reported.
According to AFP, Uniformed Turkish police and other officials in suits believed to be prosecutors went inside the consulate after receiving agreement from Riyadh to conduct the search.
A Turkish diplomatic source had earlier said that a joint Turkish-Saudi team would conduct a search of the consulate, following delays last week when Riyadh and Ankara reached an agreement to work together to figure out what had happened to the journalist.
Separately on Monday, US President Donald Trump said he had spoken with the Saudi king regarding the missing journalist earlier in the day, and that he was sending American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with the king immediately.
Trump added that King Salman had denied “any knowledge of whatever may have happened” to Khashoggi. The Saudi monarch also told Trump that Riyadh was working closely with Ankara on the case.
Meanwhile, Spain also called for an urgent probe into the mysterious disappearance of the Saudi journo.
“Spain clearly joins the concern that other countries have already expressed, particularly the European Union, and demands a transparent and urgent investigation,” said Isabel Celaa, the Spanish government’s spokeswoman on Monday.
