Saudi Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb arrived from Riyadh to Istanbul on Oct. 2
Saudi intelligence officer and former diplomat Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, who allegedly played a "pivotal role" in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is thought to have smuggled the journalist’s remains out of the country in his bag as diplomatic passport-holders are not obligated to put their carry-ons through an X-ray machine and are exempt from security checks.
Mutreb arrived from Riyadh to Istanbul on Oct. 2 on a private jet, and his bags were not checked when he left the country due to his diplomatic immunity. He passed through passport control at 03:38 a.m. and stayed at the Movenpick Hotel during his visit before leaving the country at 05.49 p.m.
47-year-old Mutreb was a diplomat in the Saudi embassy in London and has travelled frequently with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih on Tuesday admitted that Saudi Arabia was “in crisis” over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.“Saudi Arabia is going through a crisis,” al-Falih said in statements on the sidelines of a major investment conference in the capital Riyadh.He described Khashoggi’s killing as “abhorrent and cannot be justified”.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.How the man behind Khashoggi murder ran the killing via SkypeAfter days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia last week claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.Saudi King Salman sacked the deputy of the intelligence service and a top aide and ordered the arrest of 18 suspects over the case.On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister admitted on Sunday that Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate but argued that the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was “not aware" of it.Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir claimed that it was a “rogue operation” by individuals who exceeded their responsibilities and later tried to cover things up.Erdoğan: Evidence shows Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murderedWebsite of Saudi investment conference hackedTurkey has not yet shared any information with any country on Khashoggi case: FMSaudi foreign minister pledges full probe into Khashoggi killing
Saudi Arabia ‘in crisis’ over Khashoggi: Minister
Khashoggi vanished after entering the consulate on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. He was a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and critical of the Saudi government, calling for reforms.
After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning said he had died in a fistfight at the consulate. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold, which a senior official reiterated.
Yeni Şafak daily on Monday reported that Mutreb also called Badr Al Asaker, the director of the private office of the crown prince, on his cell four times after the “fistfight” that resulted in the journalist’s death.
Turkish police are also searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for Khashoggi’s remains.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday there were strong indications that Jamal Khashoggi's killing was planned and stated that attempts to blame it on intelligence operatives - Riyadh has suggested it was a rogue operation - "will not satisfy us."Erdoğan said that he does not doubt Saudi King Salman's sincerity, without elaborating. He also said the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body were still unknown and he demanded Saudi Arabia to reveal the identity of a "local cooperator" who purportedly took the body."The murder of Saudi journalist Khashoggi was premeditated," Erdoğan said, adding Khashoggi’s killing was a “political murder.”In a speech to parliament, Erdoğan did not mention Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who some U.S. lawmakers suspect ordered the killing. But he said Turkey would not complete its investigation into Khashoggi's death until all questions were answered.Lebanon’s Hariri hails Saudi effort on Khashoggi murder"Intelligence and security institutions have evidence showing the murder was planned.... Pinning such a case on some security and intelligence members will not satisfy us or the international community," the president remarked.“Consulate cameras had been removed,” Erdoğan said, adding that “the team who committed the murder was previously notified” that Khashoggi would be at the consulate.He said evidence proved Khashoggi was "brutally murdered,” and called for the 18 suspects in the case to stand trial in Istanbul.“Everybody, from the instructor of the murder to the implementer, should answer to clear mankind's conscience,” he said.Indonesia expresses condolences to Khashoggi familyIn his speech, Erdoğan also said that the Saudi government formally admitted to the killing of Khashoggi 17 days after his murder."The Vienna convention would not allow such a'brutal murder to happen," Erdoğan stated."Diplomatic immunity, which is a part of the Vienna Convention, will be debated," he remarked.Erdoğan said a Saudi team of 15 entered the consulate the day of the killing, and that three men from the team went on an exploration trip to Belgrad forest in Istanbul and Yalova, a 90-kilometre (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul.Website of Saudi investment conference hackedKhashoggi vanished after entering the consulate on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.Erdoğan also extended his condolences to Khashoggi’s fiancée, his family and Saudi Arabia.Khashoggi was a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and a critic of the Saudi government, calling for reforms.After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning said he had died in a fistfight at the consulate. An hour later, another Saudi official attributed the death to a chokehold, which a senior official reiterated.Turkey has not yet shared any information with any country on Khashoggi case: FMSaudi foreign minister pledges full probe into Khashoggi killingAK Party to continue cooperation with MHPTurkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party will not form an alliance with the nationalist party for the 2019 local elections, but cooperation between the two parties will continue, Erdoğan said on Tuesday, after the nationalists pulled out of the alliance earlier.The People's Alliance between AK Party and the MHP was formed this February ahead of the June presidential and parliamentary elections, and continued in some forms between the two parties."We see the People's Alliance as one of the most important gains of our country recently, and we want to carry it into future," Erdoğan stressed, but added that it would run independently from the MHP in the March 2019 local election.The president said they never did anything which will harm the spirit of the alliance, adding that his party will not be involved in any action.Turkey's opposition MHP no longer seeks alliance in upcoming local elections, Bahçeli says
Erdoğan: Evidence shows Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered