A Saudi flag flutters atop Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey
The murder of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi was pre-planned and his body parts were disposed of after being dismembered, the office of the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor said on Wednesday.
Saudi authorities did not make any statements regarding the local collaborator in the Khashoggi murder, the office said in a statement.
Khashoggi was suffocated immediately after entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, the statement added, as it reiterated a request for the extradition of suspects arrested by Saudi Arabia in the case of the brutal murder.
In a statement issued after two days of talks with Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb, it also said no concrete results were reached in those meetings but that Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor İrfan Fidan was invited to Saudi Arabia as part of the probe.
A group of Republican senators asked U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday to suspend civilian nuclear talks with Saudi Arabia after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi actions in Yemen and Lebanon.The five U.S. lawmakers, led by Senator Marco Rubio, said they would use the Atomic Energy Act to block any U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreements if Trump did not cut off talks."The ongoing revelations about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as certain Saudi actions related to Yemen and Lebanon, have raised further serious concerns about the transparency, accountability, and judgment of current decision makers in Saudi Arabia," the senators wrote.Saudi prosecutor completes inspections in Turkey, heads to airport"We therefore request that you suspend any related negotiations for a U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear agreement for the foreseeable future," said the lawmakers, who included senators Cory Gardner, Rand Paul, Dean Heller and Todd Young.Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter, which was first reported by NBC News.Khashoggi, a leading critic of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. The death of the Washington Post columnist, a U.S. resident who had American children, sparked global outrage and pitched the world's top oil exporter into crisis.French foreign minister says sanctions against Saudi Arabia possibleThe United States has called for transparency in the investigation of Khashoggi's death and revoked the U.S. visas of some Saudis over the incident. Trump has said Prince Mohammed bore ultimate responsibility for what happened to Khashoggi but has also cited Riyadh as a strong ally.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday called for a cessation of hostilities in Yemen and urged the start of U.N.-led negotiations to end the civil war next month.Saudi Arabia's official comments on Khashoggi's death have shifted from initially denying any involvement to saying the killing was premeditated. Both Saudi Arabia and Turkey are investigating Khashoggi's death. Saudi prosecutor discusses Khashoggi case with Turkish intelligenceUN calls for impartial probe into Khashoggi’s killing
Republican senators urge Trump to suspend nuclear talks with Saudi Arabia
"Despite our well-intentioned efforts to reveal the truth, no concrete results have come out of those meetings," the Istanbul prosecutor's office said.
Fidan asked Mojeb about the location of Khashoggi’s body, and whether the Saudi investigation had reached any findings regarding plans to kill Khashoggi.
Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After initially saying he had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later he had died there.
Investigation of the incident suggests a special hit squad came to the consulate to kill Kashoggi and cover up the murder
The international community refused to accept the Saudi claim that the incident was not a premeditated murder.
Melo, the Istanbul Police Department’s cadaver dog, allegedly reacted to a wardrobe inside the Saudi consulate, and was then denied permission to search the residence of the Saudi consul-general.The cadaver dog barked in front of a wardrobe at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and was a part of the Turkish team that searched the premises where slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2. It is believed that Khashoggi’s remains, or parts of it, could have been stashed in the wardrobe at some point.Melo has assisted in missing persons cases in Turkey’s Mersin, Adana, Hatay and Denizli in which the cadaver dog quickly located the bodies. The claim comes as Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor Saud Al Mojeb completed his inspections in Turkey after he held three days of talks that yielded no results with Turkish officials on the killing of Khashoggi.Mojeb carried out inspections at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed earlier this month, and held meetings with Turkey's public prosecutor and Turkish intelligence officials.No clear information was obtained from Mojeb regarding 18 suspects arrested in Saudi Arabia over Khashoggi’s death, Turkish security sources said. Questions about the assassination squad were not answered satisfactorily, the sources added.Saudi prosecutor completes inspections in Turkey, heads to airportFrench foreign minister says sanctions against Saudi Arabia possibleSaudi prosecutor discusses Khashoggi case with Turkish intelligenceUN calls for impartial probe into Khashoggi’s killing
Cadaver dog used to search Saudi consulate denied entry into consul-general’s residence
Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor has completed his inspections in Turkey and is heading to Istanbul's Ataturk airport, a private Turkish broadcaster said on Wednesday, after he held three days of talks with Turkish officials on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.Saud Al Mojeb carried out inspections at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed earlier this month, and held meetings with Turkey's public prosecutor and Turkish intelligence officials.Indonesia protests to Saudi over execution of maid convicted of murderFrench foreign minister says sanctions against Saudi Arabia possibleSaudi prosecutor discusses Khashoggi case with Turkish intelligence
Saudi prosecutor completes inspections in Turkey, heads to airport