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As Saudi Arabia faced intensifying international scepticism over its story about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a senior government official laid out a new version of the death inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that in key respects contradicts previous explanations.
The latest account, provided by a Saudi official who requested anonymity, includes details on how the team of 15 Saudi nationals sent to confront Khashoggi on Oct. 2 had threatened him with being drugged and kidnapped and then killed him in a chokehold when he resisted. A member of the team then dressed in Khashoggi's clothes to make it appear as if he had left the consulate.
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 the senior official reiterated.
A host of Arab countries have welcomed a Saudi explanation on the circumstances of veteran journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi was killed during a fight inside the consulate.In a statement, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it “values the results of preliminary [Saudi] investigations in the case.""The decisions and actions taken by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz are consistent with respect of the principles of law and application of justice,” it added.A similar praise came from the United Arab Emirates, which “hailed King Salman's directives and decisions," according to the official news agency.UK says any response over Khashoggi case would be 'considered'Saudi may blame adviser for Khashoggi killing: reportBahrain said decisions by the Saudi monarch came “to establish justice and equity and uncover the facts," Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ekhbariya TV channel said on Twitter.Palestine, for its part, said "Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will remain the state of justice, values and principles."It hailed the Saudi decisions for “establishing justice, fairness, facts and law," according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.The Yemeni government said in a statement the findings of the Saudi probe “reflect the continuous and serious follow-up by the Saudi institutions,” according to the official Saba news agency.Trump says he believes Khashoggi is deadIstanbul forest being searched for Khashoggi bodyThe statement said Riyadh “has always reviewed any mistake that may occur from one of its institutions and work to address it immediately and take the necessary actions and bring perpetrators to accountability as what happened in this incident [the killing of Khashoggi]."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.A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Arab states hail Saudi explanation on Khashoggi killing
Turkish officials suspect the body of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was cut up but the Saudi official said it was rolled up in a rug and given to a "local cooperator" for disposal. Asked about allegations that Khashoggi had been tortured and beheaded, he said preliminary results of the investigation did not suggest that.
The Saudi official presented what he said were Saudi internal intelligence documents which appeared to show the initiative to bring back dissidents as well as the specific one involving Khashoggi. He also showed testimony from those involved in what he described as the 15-man team's cover-up, and the initial results of an internal probe. He did not provide proof to substantiate the findings of the investigation and the other evidence.
This narrative is the latest Saudi account that has changed multiple times. The authorities initially dismissed reports that Khashoggi had gone missing inside the consulate as false and said he had left the building soon after entering. When the media reported a few days later that he had been killed there, they called the accusations "baseless."
Asked by reporters why the government's version of Khashoggi's death kept changing, the official said the government initial account was based on "false information reported internally at the time."
France on Saturday “strongly” condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.According to a statement issued by French Foreign Ministry, the country is still looking for clarity on the issue.Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate."Verifying that Khashoggi was killed is the first step towards revealing the truth. Many questions are still unanswered," the statement said.In order to get answers to the remaining questions, the statement called for a large-scale research and investigation and urged the Saudi administration to make an effort.The statement also extended condolences to the family of the Saudi journalist.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.A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.US rep. demands recall of acting ambassador to RiyadhNew Zealand will not attend Saudi investment summit over Khashoggi deathRiyadh uses Twitter trolls to silence critics: NY TimesTrump, Europeans call Saudi account of Khashoggi death inadequate
France ‘strongly’ condemns killing of Saudi journalist
"Once it became clear these initial mission reports were false, it launched an internal investigation and refrained from further public comment," the official said, adding that the investigation is continuing.
Turkish sources say the authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting Khashoggi's murder inside the consulate but have not released it.
Riyadh dispatched a high-level delegation to Istanbul on Tuesday and ordered an internal investigation but U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he is not satisfied with Saudi Arabia’s handling of Khashoggi's death and said questions remain unanswered. Germany and France on Saturday called Saudi Arabia’s explanation of how Khashoggi died incomplete.
According to the latest version of the death, the government wanted to convince Khashoggi, who moved to Washington a year ago fearing reprisals for his views, to return to the kingdom as part of a campaign to prevent Saudi dissidents from being recruited by the country's enemies, the official said.
To that end, the official said, the deputy head of the General Intelligence Presidency, Ahmed al-Asiri, put together a 15-member team from the intelligence and security forces to go to Istanbul, meet Khashoggi at the consulate and try to convince him to return to Saudi Arabia.
“There is a standing order to negotiate the return of dissidents peacefully; which gives them the authority to act without going back to the leadership" the official said.
"Asiri is the one who formed the team and asked for an employee who worked with (Saud) al-Qahtani and who knew Jamal from the time they both worked at the embassy in London,” he said.
The official said Qahtani had signed off on one of his employees conducting the negotiations.
New Zealand condemns the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives and will not be attending an investment summit in Saudi Arabia, the government said in a statement on Sunday.Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist critical of Riyadh's policies, died inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Saudi state media said on Saturday.Trade Minister David Parker said in the statement no New Zealand officials will attend the upcoming Future Investment Initiative, an event in the Saudi capital of Riyadh being called Davos in the Desert.UNESCO chief condemns killing of KhashoggiWe want justice for Jamal Khashoggi, says head of Turkish-Arab Media AssociationAmnesty urges UN investigation, independent autopsy in Khashoggi deathInvestigators likely to discover what happened to Khashoggi body 'before long'Turkey vows to reveal details of Khashoggi's killing
New Zealand will not attend Saudi investment summit over Khashoggi death
Chokehold
According to the plan, the team could hold Khashoggi in a safe house outside Istanbul for "a period of time" but then release him if he ultimately refused to return to Saudi Arabia, the official said.
Things went wrong from the start as the team overstepped their orders and quickly employed violence, the official said.
Khashoggi was ushered into the consul general's office where an operative named Maher Mutreb spoke to him about returning to Saudi Arabia, according to the government's account.
Khashoggi refused and told Mutreb that someone was waiting outside for him and would contact the Turkish authorities if he did not reappear within an hour, the official said.
Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, has told Reuters he had handed her his two mobile phones and left instructions that she should wait for him and call an aide to Turkey's president if he did not reappear.
U.S. President Donald Trump joined European leaders on Saturday in pushing Saudi Arabia for more answers about Jamal Khashoggi after Riyadh changed its story and acknowledged that the journalist died more than two weeks ago at its consulate in Istanbul.Saudi Arabia said early on Saturday that Khashoggi, a critic of the country's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had died in a fight inside the building.Germany called that explanation "inadequate" and questioned whether countries should sell arms to Saudi Arabia, while France and the European Union urged an in-depth investigation to find out what happened to the Washington Post columnist after he entered the consulate on Oct. 2 for documents for his marriage.Turkish officials suspect Khashoggi, a Saudi national and U.S. resident, was killed inside the consulate by a team of Saudi agents and his body cut up.The Khashoggi case has caused international outrage and frayed political and business ties between Western powers and U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, the world's No.1 oil exporter.Asked during a trip to Nevada if he was satisfied that Saudi officials had been fired over Khashoggi's death, Trump said: "No, I am not satisfied until we find the answer. But it was a big first step, it was a good first step. But I want to get to the answer."In an interview with the Washington Post, Trump said that "obviously there's been deception, and there's been lies."Trump's comments about the Khashoggi incident in recent days have ranged from threatening Saudi Arabia with "very severe" consequences and warning of economic sanctions, to more conciliatory remarks in which he has played up the country's role as a U.S. ally against Iran and militants, as well as a major purchaser of U.S. arms.He had earlier called the Saudi narrative of what happened to Khashoggi credible.Riyadh provided no evidence on Saturday to support its account and made no mention of what had become of Khashoggi's body.Latest Saudi versionAs Saudi Arabia faced intensifying international scepticism over its story, a senior Saudi official laid out a new version of the death in which a team of 15 Saudi nationals sent to confront Khashoggi had threatened him with being drugged and kidnapped and then killed him in a chokehold when he resisted. A member of the team then dressed in Khashoggi's clothes to make it appear as if he had left the consulate.French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for a full investigation into the killing and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a joint statement with her foreign minister, said the Saudi account was not enough."We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia about the circumstances of his death ... The information available about events in the Istanbul consulate is inadequate," the Germans said.German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called into question the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Riyadh's explanations lacked consistency and credibility.Trump said it was possible that Prince Mohammed had been unaware of the circumstances around the death of Khashoggi, 59.For Western allies, a main question will be whether they believe that the prince, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability. King Salman, 82, had handed the day-to-day running of Saudi Arabia to him.Trump, who has forged close ties with Saudi Arabia and the crown prince, said he was concerned that it was unclear where the journalist's body is.Search for bodyAccording to the senior Saudi official, the Saudi team rolled up Khashoggi's body in a rug, took it out in a consular vehicle and handed it to a "local cooperator" for disposal.One of the operatives then donned Khashoggi's clothes, eyeglasses and Apple watch and left through the back door of the consulate in an attempt to make it look like Khashoggi had walked out of the building, the senior Saudi official said.Turkish investigators are likely to find out what happened to the corpse "before long", a senior Turkish official said earlier on Saturday.Officials told Reuters in Turkey on Thursday that Khashoggi's remains may have been dumped in Belgrad Forest adjacent to Istanbul, and at a rural location near the city of Yalova, 90 km (55 miles) south of Istanbul,Turkish sources say the authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting Khashoggi's murder inside the consulate. Pro-government Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak, citing the audio, said his torturers cut off his fingers during an interrogation and later beheaded him.Trump said no one from his administration has seen video or a transcript of what happened inside the consulate.Khashoggi's Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, tweeted in Arabic: "They have taken your body from this world, but your beautiful smile will stay in my world forever."Saudi Arabia had previously denied that Khashoggi died in the consulate.But the Saudi public prosecutor said on Saturday that a fight broke out between Khashoggi and people who met him in the building, leading to his death. Eighteen Saudi nationals had been arrested, the prosecutor said.Saudi state media said King Salman had ordered the dismissal of five officials, including Saud al-Qahtani, a royal court adviser seen as the right-hand man to Prince Mohammed, and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed Asiri.The crisis prompted the king to intervene, five sources with links to the Saudi royal family told Reuters.The king also ordered a restructuring of the intelligence service, to be led by Prince Mohammed, suggesting the prince still retained wide-ranging authority.The dismissed official Qahtani, 40, rose to prominence after latching onto Prince Mohammed, becoming a rare confidant in his inner circle.Sources say Qahtani would regularly speak on behalf of the crown prince and has given direct orders to senior officials including in the security apparatus.The New York Times reported on Saturday, citing U.S. and Saudi officials, that Qahtani created the strategy behind the deployment an online army to harass Khashoggi and other critics of the kingdom on Twitter.People close to Khashoggi and the government said Qahtani had tried to lure the journalist back to Saudi Arabia after he moved to Washington a year ago fearing reprisals for his views.Asiri joined the Saudi military in 2002, according to Saudi media reports, serving as spokesman for a coalition backing Yemen's ousted president after Prince Mohammed took Saudi Arabia into that country's civil war in 2015. He was named deputy chief of foreign intelligence in 2017.
Trump, Europeans call Saudi account of Khashoggi death inadequate
Back inside the consul's office, according to the official's account, Khashoggi told Mutreb he was violating diplomatic norms and said, "What are you going to do with me? Do you intend to kidnap me?"
Mutreb replied, "Yes, we will drug you and kidnap you," in what the official said was an attempt at intimidation that violated the mission's objective.
When Khashoggi raised his voice, the team panicked. They moved to restrain him, placing him in a chokehold and covering his mouth, according to the government's account.
"They tried to prevent him from shouting but he died," the official said. “The intention was not to kill him."
Asked if the team had smothered Khashoggi, the official said: "If you put someone of Jamal’s age in this position, he would probably die."
Canada, Australia and New Zealand have condemned the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in a statement on Saturday criticized Saudi Arabia's explanation regarding the killing of Khashoggi.“The explanations offered to date lack consistency and credibility,” she said. “Canada condemns the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed took place in its consulate in Istanbul,” the statement added.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also condemned the killing of the Saudi journalist.“We deplore the killing of Jamal Khashoggi...We expect the Saudi government to cooperate fully with Turkish authorities regarding the investigation of this matter," he said.The Australian government has also announced it was no longer “appropriate” to attend next week’s Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh.New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker in a joint statement on Sunday said: "The New Zealand government continues to condemn in the strongest possible terms the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives."EU to sign trade deal with Singapore, eyes deeper Asia tiesUS asks for WTO panel over metals tariff retaliationExxon Mobil bets big on China LNG, sidesteps trade war“The killing by government operatives is deeply disturbing. Many questions remain unanswered,” Peters said.“We look forward to the results of the investigation being led by Turkey and we urge Saudi Arabia to implement its undertaking to participate openly and transparently in that investigation,” he added.Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.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.A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.UN headquarters to exhibit Istanbul Photo AwardsSaudi Arabia sacks top officials over Khashoggi deathClash over Trump tariffs heats up with barrage of WTO litigation
Canada, others condemn killing of Saudi journalist
Missing Body
To cover up their misdeed, the team rolled up Khashoggi's body in a rug, took it out in a consular vehicle and handed it over to a "local cooperator" for disposal, the official said. Forensic expert Salah Tubaigy tried to remove any trace of the incident, the official said.
Turkish officials have told Reuters that Khashoggi's killers may have dumped his remains in Belgrad Forest adjacent to Istanbul, and at a rural location near the city of Yalova, 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of Istanbul.
Turkish investigators are likely to find out what happened to the body "before long," a senior official said.
The Saudi official said the local cooperator is an Istanbul resident but would not reveal his nationality. The official said investigators were trying to determine where the body ended up.
Meanwhile, operative Mustafa Madani donned Khashoggi's clothes, eyeglasses and Apple watch and left through the back door of the consulate in an attempt to make it look like Khashoggi had walked out of the building. Madani went to the Sultanahmet district where he disposed of the belongings.
The official said the team then wrote a false report for superiors saying they had allowed Khashoggi to leave once he warned that Turkish authorities could get involved and that they had promptly left the country before they could be discovered.
Sceptics have asked why so many people, including military officers and a forensics expert specializing in autopsies, were part of the operation if the objective was to convince Khashoggi to return home of his own volition.
The disappearance of Khashoggi, a Saudi insider turned critic, has snowballed into a massive crisis for the kingdom, forcing the 82-year-old monarch, King Salman, to personally get involved. It has threatened the kingdom’s business relationships, with several senior executives and government officials shunning an investor conference in Riyadh scheduled for next week and some U.S. lawmakers putting pressure on Trump to impose sanctions and stop arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
The official said all 15 team members had been detained and placed under investigation, along with three other local suspects.