Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday the order for journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing came from the top levels of the Saudi government.
In an opinion piece published in The Washington Post, Erdoğan said Turkey knows the perpetrators are among the 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia.
"We also know that those individuals came to carry out their orders: Kill Khashoggi and leave. Finally, we know that the order to kill Khashoggi came from the highest levels of the Saudi government," said Erdoğan.
Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, disappeared Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to receive paperwork he needed to get married.
Once inside, he was immediately strangled and then dismembered, according to the Istanbul Prosecutor’s office.
The president said Turkey's efforts led the world to learn Khashoggi was killed in cold blood by a death squad and established his murder was premeditated.
"Yet there are other, no less significant questions whose answers will contribute to our understanding of this deplorable act," said Erdoğan, including the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body, the identity of the "local collaborator" who was given his remains, and who ordered the killing.
"Unfortunately, the Saudi authorities have refused to answer those questions," said Erdoğan, who pledged to keep asking questions, which he said were crucial to the Turkish probe into the murder.
Slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s body was dismembered in order to dissolve it more easily in acid, said Yasin Aktay, a sociologist and advisor to Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party who was also a friend of Khashoggi.“According to the latest information we have obtained, the reason they dismembered Khashoggi’s body was to dissolve his remains more easily. They intended to leave no trace behind,” he said in an interview with Hürriyet daily.“Murder, killing an innocent person is a separate crime and what they did to his remains is another crime and disgrace,” Aktay added.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed inside the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on Oct. 2. “We had been informed that Khashoggi’s body was dismembered. But now we see that they did not only dismember his body but also vaporized it.”The Istanbul Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday said that Khashoggi was strangled to death "in a premeditated way" shortly after he entered the consulate to obtain documents for his pending nuptials, adding that his body was disposed of after being dismembered. “His body was not found, even though we traced it with all the current camera systems. There is evidence of this killing. If he knew what would happen after he entered the consulate, would he have gone through the door?” he concluded.After denying any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, 59, for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Oct. 20 acknowledged his death, saying he had died in a fistfight.Since then, Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said Khashoggi’s killing was premeditated, contradicting the previous official statement that it happened accidentally during a tussle in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.Saudi prince disparaged Khashoggi in US calls: reportGermany hardening line on Saudi Arabia and KhashoggiArab media covers Turkey's Khashoggi statementUS urges return of Khashoggi's remains to family
'Khashoggi’s body was dismembered, dissolved in acid'
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman described slain columnist Jamal Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist in a call with top Donlald Trump administration officials, the Washington Post reported Thursday.The comments were made during a call with National Security Advisor John Bolton and the president's senior advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner before Riyadh acknowledged it killed Khashoggi, the newspaper reported.Bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, sought to portray Khashoggi as a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist group originating in Egypt that has been the focus of criticism for some in the Trump administration, including Bolton.Germany hardening line on Saudi Arabia and KhashoggiA Saudi official denied the comments were made.But the reported comments, if true, stand in stark contrast to public statements made by the kingdom as it produced a shifting narrative over Khashoggi's disappearance before ultimately acknowledging he was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul amid international outcry.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News that Khashoggi's death was a "terrible mistake" while simultaneously lamenting the "terrible tragedy."Arab media covers Turkey's Khashoggi statement"This was an operation where individuals ended up exceeding the authorities and responsibilities they had. They made the mistake when they killed Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate and they tried to cover up for it," he said.Reports had indicated the kingdom was planning to blame Khashoggi's death on rogue agents before it ultimately acknowledged he was killed in the consulate. Saudi Arabia has yet to explain its shifting narrative on Khashoggi's disappearance, nor has Riyadh produced his body after several reports said he was dismembered in the diplomatic facility.Saudi prince paying price for Khashoggi killingThe Istanbul Prosecutor's Office said Khashoggi was strangled to death "in a premeditated way" shortly after he entered the consulate to obtain documents for his pending nuptials, adding that his body was disposed of after being dismembered.Senior U.S. lawmakers, including Senator Lindsey Graham, have scoffed at suggestions anyone besides bin Salman could have signed off on the operation.US urges return of Khashoggi's remains to familyWorld media criticize Saudi Arabia's lack of cooperation
Saudi prince disparaged Khashoggi in US calls: report
Germany is still waiting for a transparent and credible investigation from Saudi Arabia into the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and is ready to take action in light of new findings, a government spokesman has said.The spokesman, who asked not to be named, told Anadolu Agency that Germany was increasingly concerned over the case as many questions remained unanswered almost a month after Khashoggi's disappearance.“We are now following very closely whether Saudi Arabia is endeavoring to ensure transparency in the clarification of the case and to hold to account those responsible. In light of this development, we are ready to take appropriate action with our international partners,” he said, referring to widespread calls for sanctions against Riyadh.German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke by phone with Saudi Arabia’s King Salman last week and called for a rapid, transparent and credible investigation, stressing that all those responsible must be held accountable.Saudi prince paying price for Khashoggi killing“This appeal to Saudi Arabia remains valid. Saudi Arabia has committed itself to this in several public statements and must now be measured by these statements,” the spokesman said.The German government has also praised Turkey’s efforts to unravel the truth since Khashoggi's disappearance.“The work of the Turkish authorities has played a major role in the investigation of the case to date. The federal government supports all efforts to clarify this case completely,” he stressed.US urges return of Khashoggi's remains to familyJamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for The Washington Post, was killed on Oct. 2 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.After weeks of denying involvement, the Kingdom admitted last week that Khashoggi had been killed at the consulate but claimed that the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of a plot to murder him.So far, 18 people, including security officers, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder. World media criticize Saudi Arabia's lack of cooperationOn Wednesday, Turkish prosecutors announced their preliminary findings, saying Khashoggi was strangled to death in a premeditated killing soon after he entered the Saudi consulate.The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office said Khashoggi's body had been disposed of after being dismembered.Saudi authorities have so far claimed that they do not know the whereabouts of his remains.UK: Vigil held for Khashoggi outside Saudi embassyGates Foundation stops backing Saudi charity
Germany hardening line on Saudi Arabia and Khashoggi
'Proper burial'
"At the very least, he deserves a proper burial in line with Islamic customs. We owe it to his family and friends, including his former colleagues at The Post, to give them an opportunity to say their goodbyes and pay their respects to this honorable man," said Erdoğan.
He said Ankara and Riyadh enjoy friendly relations despite the killing.
"I do not believe for a second that King Salman, the custodian of the holy mosques, ordered the hit on Khashoggi. Therefore, I have no reason to believe that his murder reflected Saudi Arabia’s official policy. In this sense, it would be wrong to view the Khashoggi slaying as a 'problem' between two countries," said the president.
Also, he said the "longtime" friendship between Turkey and Saudi Arabia does not mean Ankara would "will turn a blind eye to the premeditated murder that unfolded in front of our very eyes.
"The killing of Khashoggi is inexplicable," said Erdoğan.
The president warned that no one should dare commit "such acts on the soil of a NATO ally again".
"If anyone chooses to ignore that warning, they will face severe consequences. The Khashoggi murder was a clear violation and a blatant abuse of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. Failure to punish the perpetrators could set a very dangerous precedent.”
Erdoğan also slammed inaction against the Saudi consul general, who he said lied through his teeth to the media and fled Turkey shortly afterward, calling it "deeply concerning".
"As responsible members of the international community, we must reveal the identities of the puppet masters behind Khashoggi’s killing and discover those in whom Saudi officials — still trying to cover up the murder — have placed their trust," he said.
Norway summoned the Saudi ambassador on Thursday over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Norwegian Foreign Minister said on Friday."We have raised the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and presented our point of view to the Saudi ambassador several times after it was known," Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement."We underlined how seriously we take this issue again yesterday, when he was at the Foreign Ministry for a discussion." Pompeo says 'handful more weeks' before US responds to Khashoggi killingIsraeli official says Khashoggi death 'despicable', but Iran greater challenge'Khashoggi’s body was dismembered, dissolved in acid'Saudi prince disparaged Khashoggi in US calls: report
Norway summoned Saudi ambassador over Khashoggi murder
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday it would take a "handful more weeks" before the United States has enough evidence to impose sanctions in response to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month.Pompeo, in an interview with KMOX radio in St. Louis, said President Donald Trump had made it clear Washington would respond to the killing. He said the administration is "reviewing putting sanctions on the individuals that we have been able to identify to date that ... were engaged in that murder." 
Pompeo says 'handful more weeks' before US responds to Khashoggi killing
An Israeli official on Friday called the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul "despicable" but said that cementing ties with Gulf states in the struggle against Iran was Israel's overriding concern.In his remarks to radio station 102 FM, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz did not explicitly say whether his views were those of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which has been reticent in commenting on the case.Asked about Khashoggi's death, Steinitz said: "It was a despicable action. It's worthy of all reproach. This was a civilian, a journalist, not a terrorist."He went on to say, however, that Israel's struggle against Iran was more pressing."We have a threat that can become an existential threat - the threat of a nuclear Iran, the threat of terror, the threat of spreading through Syria and Lebanon. And Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, are our allies in recent years against the spread of Iran and against the Iranian nuclear threat," he said. 'Khashoggi’s body was dismembered, dissolved in acid'Saudi prince disparaged Khashoggi in US calls: reportGermany hardening line on Saudi Arabia and KhashoggiArab media covers Turkey's Khashoggi statement
Israeli official says Khashoggi death 'despicable', but Iran greater challenge