He entered the Saudi consulate before Khashoggi disappeared, and left from Turkey the same day
In a still image from surveillance camera footage on October 2, a man previously seen with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's entourage walks outside the Saudi consul general's residence. Pic/AFP
A man who previously travelled with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's entourage to the United States entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul just before writer Jamal Khashoggi vanished there, according to images published Thursday by a pro-government Turkish newspaper.
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The Sabah newspaper's report showed the man also later outside the Saudi consul general's home, checking out of a Turkish hotel as a large suitcase stood by his side, and leaving Turkey on October 2. Saudi Arabia, which initially called the allegations "baseless," has not responded to repeated requests for comment over recent days, including on Thursday. The Sabah report showed the man walking past police barricades at the consulate at 9:55 am with several men trailing behind him. Khashoggi arrived at the consulate several hours later at 1:14 pm, then disappeared while his fiancée waited outside for him.
A report Wednesday by the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's slaying, said a Saudi team immediately accosted the 60-year-old journalist after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.
Previously leaked surveillance footage showed consular vehicles moving from the consulate to the consul general's official residence. The Sabah newspaper showed an image of the man at 4:53 pm at the consul's home, then at 5:15 pm checking out of a hotel. He later cleared airport security at 5:58 pm. The AP could not immediately verify the man's identity, though he's one of the individuals previously identified by Turkish authorities as being involved in the 15-man Saudi team that targeted Khashoggi.
The Post publishes scribe's 'last piece'
Two weeks after he disappeared, The Washington Post has published what it said appears to be Jamal Khashoggi's final column, in which the missing Saudi journalist writes of the importance of a free press in the Arab world. "The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More importantly, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices," Khashoggi writes.
More pull of out 'Davos in the desert'
French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said Thursday he was pulling out of a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
He said, "The current circumstances do not allow me to go to Riyadh". The Dutch finance minister Wopke Hoekstra has also pulled out of the conference over Khashoggi's "very serious" disappearance, the government said Thursday.
US asks Turkey for audio tape
America has asked Turkey for an audio recording in the suspected murder of Jamal Khashoggi, US President Donald Trump has said as he sought a full report from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the dissident Saudi journalist's mysterious disappearance. "I'm not sure yet that it [the video] exists. Probably does. Possibly does. I'll have a full report on that from Mike [Pompeo] when he comes back," Trump said.
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