A Saudi public prosecutor has revealed on state television that a primary investigation into high-profile journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance has confirmed he is dead.
“The discussions between Jamal Khashoggi and those he met at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul … devolved into a fistfight, leading to his death,” the public prosecutor said.
Eighteen nationals have reportedly been arrested in connection with the suspected murder and two of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s top aides — intelligence official Ahmad al-Assiri and royal court media advisor Saud al-Qahtani — have been sacked.
Khashoggi’s disappearance has sparked global outrage as the mystery surrounding it deepens, reports news.com.au.
But there’s one person believed to be at the centre of the scandal who is yet to make any public mention of it: Crown Prince bin Salman.
Turkish reports say Khashoggi, who had written columns critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post over the past year while he lived in self-imposed exile in the United States, was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the consulate on October 2. It’s believed members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are responsible for his death. The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to the writer.
In Istanbul, a leaked surveillance photo showed a man who has been a member of the Crown Prince’s entourage during trips abroad walking into the Saudi Consulate just before Khashoggi vanished there — timing that drew the kingdom’s heir-apparent closer to the columnist’s apparent demise.
Turkish officials say Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an “autopsy expert” on October 2 and left that night.
A Turkish newspaper has also reported that the contents of Khashoggi’s Apple Watch recorded his final brutal moments.
According to The Sabah newspaper, authorities recovered the audio from the journalist’s iPhone and his iCloud account, which were synched to his watch.
It’s believed he gave his phone to his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz before entering the consulate to arrange paperwork for his marriage.
The tape, if it’s authentic, supposedly reveals Khashoggi had his fingers cut off. According to local media, his panicked dying screams could be heard before he was “injected with an unknown drug” and went off the grid.
Despite intense scrutiny on Prince bin Salman, who is suspected of being the mastermind behind the possible killing, he is yet to publicly respond to the accusations. But there have been top secret talks behind close doors.
A US official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader was at stake. The prince is next in line for the throne held by his elderly father King Salman.
Pompeo said the Saudis should be given a few more days to finish and make public a credible investigation before the US decides “how or if” to respond but had reportedly also been blunt about the need to wrap the probe up quickly.
“They made clear to me that they too understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi,” he said.
“They also assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr Khashoggi and that they will do so in a timely fashion.”
Mr Pompeo said that whatever response the administration might decide on would take into account the importance of the longstanding US-Saudi partnership. He said, “They’re an important strategic ally of the US, and we need to be mindful of that.”
US President Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday it “certainly looks” as though the missing journalist was dead and vowed “very severe” consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him.
“It’s bad, bad stuff,” he said.
“But we’ll see what happens.”
After speaking with King Salman over the phone on Monday, Mr Trump said the political dictator denied knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi.
“Maybe these could have been rogue killers — who knows?” Mr Trump said.
His warning came after the administration toughened its response and announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference.
The messaging underscored the administration’s concern about the effect the case could have on relations with a close and valuable strategic partner. Increasingly upset US politicians have condemned the Saudis and questioned the seriousness with which Mr Trump and his top aides are treating the matter, while the president has emphasised the billions of dollars in weapons the Saudis purchase from the US.