Mustafa Al-Madani, 57, who is of similar age and height, was captured on surveillance cameras in Istanbul on the day Khashoggi was murdered.
Jamal Khashoggi was targeted inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Turkey and a “body double was on hand to aid in a cover-up,” The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
Three weeks after Khashoggi went missing, Saudi Arabia has offered various explanations all with conflicting accounts of what happened to the journalist.
“Saudi officials tell the AP they did in fact send a team to Turkey that included a forensics expert and a member whose job was to dress in the 59-year-old writer’s clothes and pretend to be him,” The AP reported.
CCTV footage shows a man dressed as Jamal Khashoggi leaving the Saudi consulate in Istanbul hours after the journalist's death. The body double gets into a cab and goes to central Istanbul.
CCTV footage purports to show man resembling Khashoggi leaving consulate
Khashoggi vanished after entering the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.
Soon after he went missing, Turkish officials said 15 Saudis arrived in Istanbul on the day of his disappearance in two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside.
The account of the events provided to The AP by two Saudi officials confirms that the murder was premeditated, and also reveals attempts to isolate the horrific event from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
After the Oct. 2 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, all eyes turned to his body double who appeared in surveillance cameras. Mustafa Al-Madani, 57, who is of similar age and height, was captured on surveillance cameras in Istanbul on the day Khashoggi was murdered.He is seen dressed in the journalist’s clothes, eyeglasses, and his watch to make it look like as if he had left the consulate building.Al-Madani is believed to be part of the 15-member Saudi hit squad, who was allegedly sent to Istanbul to kill the journalist.US complicity in Saudi abuses starker than beforeAccording to some Arab media reports, al-Madani is a manager at a state-run engineering corporation in Saudi Arabia. His social media account also lists him as an engineer.Al-Madani is also seen in some photos on social media while welcoming some individuals in a palace-like place. This shows that al-Madani may be a figure close to Riyadh administration and King Salman bin Abdulaziz. 'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Al-Madani is ‘security officer’According to a Saudi official, who was cited by Reuters on Sunday, al-Madani is part of the hit squad sent to Istanbul comprising officials from the Saudi intelligence and security forces.This report also hints that he is probably a security officer. Meanwhile, a surveillance footage released by CNN shows al-Madani leaving the Saudi consulate by the back door.According to a CNN report, Madani had entered the consulate building by the front door four hours earlier together with Saudi's forensic medicine chief Salah al-Tubaiqi.Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotThe video obtained by CNN also shows al-Madani without a beard and wearing a blue and white shirt and dark blue trousers. He is also seen in Khashoggi's clothing near the city's Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet district hours after the journalist was seen entering the consulate building on Oct. 2.Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi deathAfter denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for two weeks, Saudi Arabia said he was killed during a "brawl" inside the consulate.His body has not been recovered, nor has Saudi Arabia explained its shifting narrative on what transpired.On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Khashoggi's murder was premeditated, adding that his country had strong evidence showing that it was planned.Video: CCTV footage purports to show man resembling Khashoggi leaving consulate
Who is al-Madani, Khashoggi’s body double?
The officials said the Saudi operatives were acting on the orders of King Salman’s predecessor, King Abdullah, who sought for Saudi dissidents to be brought back to the kingdom to allegedly discuss the nation’s future.
The plan was purportedly to take Khashoggi from the consulate to a “safe house” for questioning, but “the operation with Khashoggi turned violent.”
“The team included a former Khashoggi colleague who advised him to return to the kingdom. When that failed, the writer, by their account, asked if he was going to be kidnapped. Told he was going to be taken to a safe house, they say he started to yell for help. That’s when an unidentified person on the team applied a chokehold, which the officials said was intended only to keep Khashoggi quiet but ended up killing him instead.”
Saudi Arabia's central bank governor said the kingdom will not penalize foreign banks that boycotted an investment conference in Riyadh and reiterated the country's commitment to defend its currency peg to the dollar.Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) Governor Ahmed al-Kholifey said in an interview with Al Arabiya TV on Wednesday that institutions that pulled out of the Saudi conference will still be able to apply for and obtain banking licenses to operate in the kingdom.He also reiterated the country’s commitment to defend the Saudi riyal’s peg to the dollar, adding that the current pressure to the peg was much lower than in the past when oil prices crashed.The riyal, which sank to a two-year low of 3.7526 against the U.S. dollar earlier this month because of concern that the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi could hurt foreign investment in Saudi Arabia, has recovered some of the losses and on Wednesday stood at 3.7511.Saudi crown prince says satisfied with investment conference in RiyadhSaudi stocks continue decline despite support from state fundsSaudi king, crown prince meet Khashoggi family membersSaudi Arabia's King Salman meets Pakistani PM in Riyadh
Saudi Arabia will not penalize banks that boycotted conference
Nine of the 15-member squad “panicked and made plans with a local Turkish “collaborator” to remove the body. One official said the body was rolled up in some sort of material and taken from the consulate by the collaborator.”
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.
Foreign ministers of the G7 countries and the EU condemned on Tuesday “in the strongest possible terms the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed took place in its consulate in Istanbul".“The confirmation of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi’s death is a first step toward full transparency and accountability,” the joint statement from the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K., the U.S., and the high representative of the European Union said.“However, the explanations offered leave many questions unanswered,” it added.The statement followed remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan describing Khashoggi's murder as "premeditated".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 last week 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.The EU and G7 countries reiterated the “expectation for a thorough, credible, transparent, and prompt investigation by Saudi Arabia, in full collaboration with the Turkish authorities, and a full and rigorous accounting of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Khashoggi’s death".“Those responsible for the killing must be held to account,” the statement added.It added that Saudi Arabia “must put in place measures to ensure something like this can never happen again.”Offering condolences to Khashoggi's family, the statement added: “The circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death reaffirms the need to protect journalists and freedom of expression around the world.”UN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requestsWho is al-Madani, Khashoggi’s body double?'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plot
G7, EU condemn Saudi journalist's murder
The UN said Tuesday it would investigate the case of killed Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi if Turkey requests.“We will wait to see whether we get a formal request from Turkey," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. "If we get something like that we will evaluate it and make a decision based on the request we received.”For any UN probe to be successful the international body would need the cooperation of all relevant parties, Haq added.'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Khashoggi, who wrote for the Washington Post, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for more than two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said he was killed during a fight inside the diplomatic facility.But Khashoggi's body has not been recovered, and Riyadh has yet to explain its shifting narrative on what transpired.Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotStephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said shortly after Saudi Arabia's announcement that the UN chief "is deeply troubled by the confirmation of the death of Jamal Khashoggi."Guterres "stresses the need for a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death and full accountability for those responsible," Guterres said.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated."Erdoğan said all information and evidence that has been uncovered showed Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal murder.Saudi teams explored Istanbul's Belgrad Forest and the northwestern province of Yalova before murdering Khashoggi, Erdoğan said.US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death
UN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requests
Turkish and Saudi officials examined on Tuesday a diplomatic car belonging to the Saudi Consulate found abandoned at a parking lot in Istanbul, security sources said.Two suitcases and various items belonging to consulate employees were found in the diplomatic car with the number plate "34 CC 1736", said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.The officials accompanied by sniffer and cadaver dogs left the site after a two-and-a-half-hour operation and the vehicle was also taken out from the parking lot.Istanbul police had found the vehicle in the city's Sultangazi district last week and acquired permission of the chief prosecutor's office and the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia to examine it.UN would investigate Khashoggi if Turkey requestsKhashoggi, 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.His body has not been recovered and Riyadh has yet to explain its shifting narrative on what transpired.Who is al-Madani, Khashoggi’s body double?US complicity in Saudi abuses starker than before'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotUS to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death
Turkish, Saudi officials examine Saudi consulate car
The U.S. complicity in abuses conducted by Saudi Arabia has become more severe since President Donald Trump came to the White House, the director of a rights group said Tuesday."In the past 80 months since Trump entered the White House, the complicity of the U.S. in Saudi Arabia's abuses has become even starker,” said Human Rights Watch Program Director Tom Porteous. “The same goes for Washington in the face of mounting Saudi oppression at home and support for oppression abroad.”Porteous spoke about the political implications of the Khashoggi affair at a panel hosted by the Arab Center, a Washington D.C.-based think tank.The U.S. has a history of being complacent towards abuses committed by the Saudi government, he said, and the Saudis may have believed they would be immune to any repercussions in the wake of Khashoggi's killing.'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'Khashoggi, a Saudi national and columnist for the Washington Post was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. On Saturday, after weeks of denying involvement in his disappearance, Saudi Arabia announced he died in a fight inside the embassy.World leaders have called on the Saudi government to provide more concrete answers on his death amid a global outcry, something Porteous says the Saudis were not expecting."It's now idle speculation to suspect that the reason the Saudis may have thought they could get away with the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in their consulate in Istanbul, is because of the signals of unconditional support coming from the Trump White House and the rest of the U.S. elite," Porteous added.Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotDokhi Fassihian, another panelist and a director at Freedom House, argued the killing of Khashoggi was not "a huge surprise" and Saudi Arabia has "been categorized as among the worst of the worst countries in terms of political rights and civil liberties"."Saudi Arabia continues to have one of the most restricted media environments in the entire world," said Fassihian.According to Freedom House, a government nonprofit that advocates for democracy and political freedom, Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained the lowest score -- seven out of 100 -- in terms of political rights for the past 30 years.US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi deathShe went further to say that unless Saudi citizens are freed, "reform is really just a mirage"."Obviously, this is an important test. It's a test of U.S. leadership and global leadership on human rights. It's also a test of raw Saudi power. And every authoritarian government today is paying attention," Fassihian added.
US complicity in Saudi abuses starker than before
The European Union’s reaction to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi will depend on the next steps that will be taken by the Saudi authorities, the EU foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.Speaking at the EU Parliament, Federica Mogherini said the EU has "asked Saudi Arabia to shed light on the events of Oct. 2 through a full, credible, transparent and prompt investigation"."We have also asked Saudi Arabia for full collaboration with the Turkish authorities."We hope that everyone will work towards the goal of establishing the facts. This is the starting point," Mogherini said, adding that the investigation must be driven by the search for truth and not by geopolitics.Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plotMogherini said the confirmation of Khashoggi's death was a first step towards the truth and towards accountability."But the explanations offered so far by the Saudi authorities leave many doubts and many questions unanswered.Recalling the Foreign Affairs Council last week, Mogherini said all 28 Foreign Ministers of the EU member states agreed to demand a credible and transparent investigation."We are working on further steps and statements to be taken together," she 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 last week 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.
'EU reaction on Khashoggi depends on Saudi steps'
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ripped Saudi Arabia's effort to conceal the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi."They had a very bad original concept. It was carried out poorly, and the coverup was one of the worst in the history of coverups," Trump told reporters at the White House."Whoever thought of that idea I think is in big trouble, and they should be in big trouble."Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. He was never seen exiting the diplomatic facility.After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for more than two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said he was killed during a brawl inside the diplomatic facility.But Khashoggi's body has not been recovered, and Riyadh has yet to explain its shifting narrative on what transpired.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated".Video: Trump says Saudis staged 'worst cover-up ever' on KhashoggiErdoğan said all information and evidence that has been uncovered showed Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal murder.Saudi teams explored Istanbul's Belgrad Forest and the northwestern province of Yalova before murdering Khashoggi, Erdoğan said.Trump said Erdoğan was "pretty rough on Saudi Arabia" during his comments, noting that the U.S. has intelligence officials in both Saudi Arabia and Turkey working on the Khashoggi case.CIA Director Gina Haspel is among them as she works to comb through the facts in Turkey."They are heading back. I will know, I think, everything in a very short period of time," Trump said. "It's a bad situation. But certainly President Erdoğan was not complimentary about what happened. That was a terrible thing that happened."US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi deathErdoğan speaks on phone wıth Khashoggi's family, sends condolencesErdoğan: Evidence shows Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered
Trump rips Saudi Arabia's Khashoggi plot
The U.S. is revoking the visas of some Saudi officials who have been implicated in the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday.The officials work for a variety of Saudi offices, including the royal court, the intelligence services, the foreign ministry and other Saudi ministries, but Pompeo did not specify which individuals would be affected possibly because visa records are confidential."The United States does not tolerate this kind of ruthless action to silence Mr. Khashoggi, a journalist, through violence," Pompeo said.The State Department later confirmed that a total of 21 suspects would be affected by visa revocations.The move marks Washington's first punitive measure against Riyadh following Khashoggi's death.Addressing reporters, the top diplomat said the state and treasury departments are working to review "the applicability" of a U.S. law intended to punish human rights abusers for the individuals suspected of involvement in Khashoggi's death.Four key senators triggered an investigation on Oct. 10 into Khashoggi's disappearance under the Global Magnitsky Act.In a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, the minority and majority leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the leaders of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the State Department called on Trump to determine whether imposing sanctions "with respect to any foreign person responsible for such a violation related to Mr. Khashoggi" is warranted.Canadian PM says it would be hard to scrap big Saudi arms dealSaudi stocks continue decline despite support from state fundsTrump has 120 days from the date of the letter to issue his determination."These penalties will not be the last word on the matter from the United States," Pompeo said. "We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those responsible accountable."Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated".Erdoğan said all information and evidence that has been uncovered showed Khashoggi was the victim of a brutal murder.Saudi teams explored Istanbul's Belgrad Forest and the northwestern province of Yalova before murdering Khashoggi, Erdoğan said.Pompeo said Ankara has been "very cooperative with us, and the Turks have told us the Saudis have cooperated with them as well”.Erdoğan speaks on phone wıth Khashoggi's family, sends condolencesSaudi crown prince says satisfied with investment conference in Riyadh
US to pull visas of Saudis involved in Khashoggi death