İlnur Çevik
An adviser to Turkey's leader said on Wednesday Saudi Arabia's crown prince had "blood on his hands" over Jamal Khashoggi's killing, the bluntest comments yet from someone linked to Tayyip Erdoğan about Riyadh's de facto ruler in connection with the death.
Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment about the remarks.
Riyadh has blamed a "rogue operation" for the death of the prominent Saudi journalist, and said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had no knowledge of the killing.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, disappeared on Oct. 2 when he visited the consulate to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. After weeks of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia said Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight in the consulate.
The kingdom's shifting explanations have met incredulity internationally and stirred deepening criticism from Turkey and the West. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever".
Britain will prevent all suspects in the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi from entering the country, Prime Minister Theresa May said, adding she would speak to Saudi Arabia's King Salman later on Wednesday."There does remain an urgent need to establish exactly what has happened in relation to this ... I myself expect to speak to King Salman later today," May told parliament."The Home Secretary is taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK, and if these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today."Video: Britain to stop suspects in Khashoggi death entering UKUS to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death
Britain to stop suspects in Khashoggi death entering UK
U.S. President Donald Trump, in his strongest remarks so far, said Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bears ultimate responsibility as de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia for the operation that led to the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, indicating that the prince is "running things over there" in Riyadh.Speaking to the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Trump said he wanted to believe the prince's claim that lower level officials were to blame for the Oct. 2 killing at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, but suggested responsibility lay higher up.Asked about Prince Mohammed’s possible involvement, Trump said: "Well, the prince is running things over there more so at this stage. He's running things and so if anybody were going to be, it would be him."Trump said he was convinced King Salman had no advance knowledge of the incident, according to the Journal.Saudi officials refuse to allow Turkish police to search well in consulateEarlier on Tuesday, the president told reporters at the White House that Saudi authorities had staged the "worst cover-up ever" over the incident, and that they had handled the matter badly.The brutal death of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist critical of the crown prince, has sparked global outrage and threatened relations between Riyadh and Washington as well as other Western nations.In his interview with the Journal, Trump said he had asked the prince multiple times about the matter.France says will take no 'hasty decision' on links with Saudi Arabia"My first question to him was, 'Did you know anything about it in terms of the initial planning?'" Trump told the Journal, adding that the prince told him that he did not.The president said he asked the prince "'Where did it start?' And he said it started at lower levels."Asked if he believed the denials, Trump told the newspaper: "I want to believe them. I really want to believe them," he said.The United States also on Tuesday vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be behind the attack.Turkey, which is investigating the killing, has dismissed Saudi efforts to blame rogue operatives and has promised to hold those behind Khashoggi's death responsible.Iran: Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without US protectionEurope’s interest is to clear Khashoggi case: TuskTurkey won't let Khashoggi killers escape justice: ErdoğanKhashoggi body double used ‘to aid cover-up’ of killing: AP
Trump says Saudi prince 'running things,' could be behind Khashoggi death: WSJ
"It is a disgrace that reaches all the way to Crown Prince (Mohammed bin) Salman. At least five members of the execution team are (Mohammed bin) Salman's right hands and are people that wouldn't act without his knowledge," İlnur Çevik, an adviser to President Erdogan, wrote in a column in the Yeni Birlik newspaper.
"Even if U.S. President Trump saves (Mohammed bin) Salman, in the eyes of the world he is a questionable person with Khashoggi's blood on his hands," Çevik wrote.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia would not have murdered prominent journalist Jamal Khashoggi without American protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of Khashoggi in Turkey this month, as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible."No one would imagine that in today's world and a new century that we would witness such an organised murder and a system would plan out such a heinous murder," Rouhani said, according to IRNA.Europe’s interest is to clear Khashoggi case: Tusk"I don't think that a country would dare commit such a crime without the protection of America."Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals and have supported opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen and different political factions in Iraq and Lebanon.U.S. protection has allowed Saudi Arabia to carry out bombings against civilians in Yemen's war, Rouhani said, according to IRNA."If there was no American protection, would the people of Yemen still have faced the same brutal bombing?" Rouhani said.Erdoğan says will not let those responsible for Khashoggi killing avoid justiceKhashoggi body double used ‘to aid cover-up’ of killing: APUN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requests
Iran: Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without US protection
Turkey's president insisted on Wednesday his country would not allow those responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's killing to avoid justice, keeping up pressure on Riyadh amid global scepticism over varying Saudi accounts of the prominent journalist's death.President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Saudi authorities staged the "worst cover-up ever" in the killing of Khashoggi in Turkey this month, as the United States vowed to revoke the visas of some of those believed to be responsible."We are determined not to allow a cover-up of this murder and to make sure all those responsible - from those who ordered it to those who carried it out - will not be allowed to avoid justice," Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a speech in Ankara.He said some people were uncomfortable with him sharing evidence in a speech on Tuesday about a killing stirring global outrage and straining ties between Riyadh and the West.Video: Erdoğan says Turkey has strong evidence Khashoggi murder was ‘premeditated’But he added: "We will continue to share new evidence transparently with our counterparts to enlighten the dark sides of this murder."On Tuesday Erdoğan urged Riyadh to search "from top to bottom" to uncover those behind the death of the veteran Saudi journalist in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.CIA Director Gina Haspel, in Turkey to investigate the death of Khashoggi, has sought to hear the purported audio recording of his torture and murder, four sources familiar with her mission told Reuters.For Saudi Arabia’s allies, the question will be whether they believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability in the killing, a possibility raised by several U.S. lawmakers.Khashoggi body double used ‘to aid cover-up’ of killing: APCONFLICTING ACCOUNTSSaudi Arabia has given conflicting accounts about Khashoggi's killing, first denying his death and later saying that Khashoggi - a U.S. resident and columnist for the Washington Post - died inside the consulate after a fight.On Sunday Riyadh called the killing a "huge and grave mistake," but sought to shield the crown prince from the widening crisis, saying Mohammed bin Salman had not been aware.Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of the investigation. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Qahtani ran Khashoggi's killing by giving orders over Skype.Iran: Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without US protectionTurkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.The weeks of denial and lack of credible evidence in the face of allegations from Turkish officials that Khashoggi had been killed have shaken global confidence in ties with the world's top oil exporter.In the latest sign of unease, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said the killing pointed clearly to a violation of human rights that required a review of Switzerland's ties to Riyadh.Europe’s interest is to clear Khashoggi case: Tusk"On Monday, we demanded for a third time via a Saudi embassy employee that the affair be quickly explained," Cassis told Swiss tabloid Blick. "Every day, we get another smidgen of new information. That's regrettable.""The clues that are emerging centimeter by centimeter speak a clear language: A violation of human rights and the rule of law," he added. "We have to ask ourselves the question of what that means for our bilateral relations. And we will definitely do that."Separately, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia, said Riyadh would not have murdered Khashoggi without American protection, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). UN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requestsWho is al-Madani, Khashoggi’s body double?US complicity in Saudi abuses starker than before
Turkey won't let Khashoggi killers escape justice: Erdoğan
Çevik is one of many Erdoğan advisers and not a prominent one. It was not immediately clear whether the views of the column reflected those of Erdogan, who in speeches on Tuesday and Wednesday highlighted the need for all of those responsible - "from those who ordered it to those who carried it out" - to face justice.
Riyadh has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggi's death. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to the crown prince.