Turkey’s Chief Prosecutor Irfan Fidan has announced conclusions of the Turkish investigation into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The conclusion is that, on October 2, Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, and was almost immediately strangled to death by the 15-man kill team.
Khashoggi’s killing has been concluded to be a “premeditated murder,” and Fidan has further concluded that Khashoggi’s body was dismembered and destroyed, in keeping with the plans made in advance.
Fidan has been invited to visit Riyadh to participate in joint interrogations of the 18 people detained by the Saudis over the murder. Turkey has sought their extradition, but the Saudis have refused.
Turkish official are continuing to push for the Saudis to explain details key to the plot, including who exactly ordered the killing, which officials say must’ve been someone in a senior position. In addition, they want to know who in Istanbul was cooperating in the plot, as this was a key detail of the Saudis’ official story. Moreover, they want to know where Khashoggi’s body, or what is left of it, was disposed.
At the core of this all is the presumption that the Saudi Crown Prince ordered the killing, which is something the Saudis are never going to admit to. This is going to remain a long-term problem, as the Saudis are still stuck trying to manufacture a new narrative that someone is going to believe.