Turkey has given its first official statement on how it believes Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed, saying he was immediately strangled.
A Turkish prosecutor on Wednesday said Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as part of a premeditated killing, and his body was dismembered and disposed of.
A statement from chief Istanbul prosecutor Irfan Fidan's office also said on Wednesday that discussions with Saudi chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb have yielded no "concrete results" despite "good-willed efforts" by Turkey to uncover the truth.
Who was Jamal Khashoggi
Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist, author, and a former general manager and editor-in-chief of Al-Arab News Channel. He also served as editor for the Saudi newspaper Al Watan, turning it into a platform for Saudi progressives.
Khashoggi has often been critical of the Saudi Arabian government. He's written for The Washington Post global opinion section.
What happened that day
The Turkish authorities on Wednesday said Khashoggi was killed by asphyxiation “as soon as he entered” Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate. The officials further added that Khashoggi's body was chopped into several parts before being disposed of at an unknown location.
On 2 October, Jamal Khashoggi, a well-known journalist and critic of the Saudi government, walked into the country's consulate in Istanbul. However, he never returned back.
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Khashoggi, who was waiting outside the consulate for Khashoggi, raised an alarm after he failed to re-emerge from the Saudi consulate.
Hatice Cengiz, the fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi (Image Credit: AP Photos)
Khashoggi's disappearance raised questions across the world and Turkish officials claimed that he was being murdered by the Saudi agents inside the building. Though, initially, Saudi officials denied the murder claims and said Khashoggi had left the consulate shortly after arriving, later they admitted that the journalist is dead.
What the Trump administration has said about Khashoggi's disappearance
US President Donald Trump had said that Saudi Arabia's response to the murder of the dissident journalist Khashoggi is "the worst cover-up ever".
Those behind the killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul three weeks ago "should be in big trouble", he had said.
What is Turkey's stance
On Tuesday, Turkey's president told MPs from his ruling party that the killing of Khashoggi was planned days in advance.
Mr Erdogan said Turkey had strong evidence the journalist was killed in a premeditated and "savage" murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.
He also called for the suspects to be tried in Istanbul.
What is Turkey's game with Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia and Turkey enjoyed a friendly economic relationship, but a tense political relationship. Saudi Arabia has an embassy in Ankara and a consulate–general in Istanbul, and Turkey has an embassy in Riyadh and a consulate–general in Jeddah.
The disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul is just an addition to the already surviving complicated relations between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey since the Arab Spring in 2011.
(With inputs from agencies)
