Monday, 23rd December 2024

Turkey shares recordings related to Khashoggi's death to other countries

Recordings related to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death has been given to Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France

Saturday, 10th November 2018

Jamal Khashoggi

Recordings related to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death has been shared with Saudi Arabia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.

Khashoggi was killed after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperwork for his marriage.

Speaking before his departure to Paris for World War I commemorations, Erdogan said: "We passed on the recordings. We gave them to Saudi Arabia, to America, to the Germans, French and the English -- we gave them all."

He did not elaborate on what was on the recordings.

Erdogan said the killer, or killers, would be known to the 18 suspects identified by Turkish authorities -- including 15 men who arrived from Saudi Arabia shortly before Khashoggi's death.

He reiterated that Saudi Arabia should provide answers as to what happened to Khashoggi and his body, which has not yet been found.

Erdogan has previously demanded that Saudi Arabia hand over the 18 suspects for prosecution in Turkey but the kingdom has insisted that those responsible for Khashoggi's death will be tried in Saudi Arabia.

The Turkish chief prosecutor said 10 days ago that Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi consulate, as part of a premeditated plan, and his body dismembered.

Erdogan's confirmation that recordings relating to Khashoggi's death have been handed to key international players is the latest in a drip-feed of details released by Turkey in the weeks since the journalist disappeared.

After Saudi Arabia admitted that Khashoggi was killed in its Istanbul consulate, five high-ranking officials were dismissed, including bin Salman's media chief and the deputy head of the Saudi intelligence service. Eighteen people were arrested.