Human rights activists hold pictures of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey October 9, 2018.
The flight path of two Gulfstream IV planes from Saudi Arabia has raised suspicions following the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was last seen at his consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish police investigating the case said in a statement Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.
The Saudi officials that arrived in Istanbul allegedly stayed in two different five-star hotels close to the consulate.
The HZSK-1 plane touched down in Istanbul the day Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate but instead of returning to Saudi Arabia, the aircraft first visited Egypt’s capital, Cairo.
Turkish security forces on Tuesday said that there are two surveillance cameras that have a clear view of Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul consulate.“On the recordings, there was no footage that Khashoggi had exited the consulate,” according to Turkish broadcaster NTV.Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post who has lived in self-imposed exile in Washington for the past year fearing retribution for his criticism of Saudi policies, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed concern, saying on Monday that Saudi officials must prove whether or not Khashoggi exited the building after entering, as they claim.Britain asks Saudis to explain what happened to missing journalistSaudi Arabia invites Turkey to visit its Istanbul consulateSaudi consulate in Istanbul will be searched: Turkish foreign ministryClaims emerge that footage of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder exists
Cameras show no footage of Khashoggi leaving Saudi consulate, say Turkish security forces
Security sources claim that alive or dead, Khashoggi was brought to the airport in vehicles with diplomatic immunity by personnel whose bags and suitcases were not searched because they too had diplomatic immunity.
The HZSK-2 private jet left Istanbul at midnight the day Khashoggi went missing and visited the UAE’s Dubai before flying to Saudi Arabia.
Both aircrafts flew to Riyadh on the final leg of their journey.
"The burden of proof is on Saudi Arabia to produce evidence for its claim that Khashoggi left the consulate alone, and that Saudi agents have not detained him," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director of Human Rights Watch.
Britain's foreign minister Jeremy Hunt called on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing since he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week.The disappearance of Khashoggi, previously a prominent newspaper editor in Saudi Arabia and an adviser to its former head of intelligence, has sparked global concern."Just met the Saudi ambassador to seek urgent answers over Jamal Khashoggi," Hunt said on Twitter on Tuesday."Violence against journalists worldwide is going up and is a grave threat to freedom of expression. If media reports prove correct, we will treat the incident seriously - friendships depend on shared values."Saudi Arabia invites Turkey to visit its Istanbul consulateSaudi Arabia arrests ‘independent minds’: Missing journoClaims emerge that footage of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder existsPossible last moments of missing Saudi journalist revealed Pompeo calls on Saudi govt to investigate Khashoggi disappearance
Britain asks Saudis to explain what happened to missing journalist
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt have worked together previously, as they tried to sever Qatar’s ties with the rest of the world by imposing boycotts, however Turkey had ruined their ploy. Qatar has remained at odds with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates since June 5 of last year, when they accused Doha of supporting terrorism -- allegations Doha denies -- and collectively severed ties with the country.
Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post who has lived in self-imposed exile in Washington for the past year fearing retribution for his criticism of Saudi policies, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also expressed concern, saying on Monday that Saudi officials must prove whether or not Khashoggi exited the building after entering, as they claim.
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday invited Turkish experts and relevant officials to visit its Istanbul Consulate to look into last week’s disappearance of a Saudi journalist.According to diplomatic sources, a diplomatic note was sent to the Turkish Foreign Ministry inviting Turkish officials to visit the consulate, where Jamal Khashoggi was last seen entering a week ago."The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conveys its regards to the brotherly Republic of Turkey,” began the note.“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia invites Turkish experts and relevant officials to visit the Istanbul Consulate in line with the cooperation principle with the government of Republic of Turkey and due to the importance the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia lays on finding the truth about Saudi Arabian citizen son of Hamza Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi's incident of disappearance."Saudi consulate in Istanbul will be searched: Turkish foreign ministryTurkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said earlier today that a "search will be conducted in the [consulate] building as part of the investigation."Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the consulate on Oct. 2.Turkish police investigating the case said on Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.Istanbul prosecutors are investigating the incident, while the consulate said on Twitter that it was working in coordination with Turkish authorities.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called for Saudi officials to prove their contention that Khashoggi left the consulate, as most accounts say the last he was seen was entering the building.Saudi Arabia arrests ‘independent minds’: Missing journoPossible last moments of missing Saudi journalist revealed Pompeo calls on Saudi govt to investigate Khashoggi disappearance
Saudi Arabia invites Turkey to visit its Istanbul consulate
Video footage of the moments missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the consulate exists, according to Yeni Şafak daily’s colomnist Kemal Öztürk.“The Saudi consulate says they have no [video] recordings. The Saudi consulate says that they don’t have any footage. But we [Turkey] have our own cameras. There are claims that there is a video of the moments Jamal Khashoggi was killed. I haven’t seen it, nobody has,” Öztürk said during a TVNET program.“Every embassy and consulate has security officials stationed in front. Some of them are intelligence. The embassies of high-risk states are under surveillance. The embassy or consulate has its own security system, but so does Turkey, because its safety has been entrusted to Turkey and so it is responsible if anything happens. Turkey protects them diligently. Both physical and technical protection. There's a record of entry and exit,” he added.Possible last moments of missing Saudi journalist revealed Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post who has lived in self-imposed exile in Washington for the past year fearing retribution for his criticism of Saudi policies, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Turkish police investigating the case said Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.Turkish sources also said that Turkish authorities believe Khashoggi was deliberately killed inside the consulate, a view echoed by one of Erdogan's advisers, Yasin Aktay, who is a friend of the Saudi journalist.Speaking to journalists in front of the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on Sunday, Turan Kışlakçı -- head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association (TAM) -- said they were informed that Jamal Khashoggi was “brutally murdered.”“After the statements of unnamed security forces and Turan Kışlakçı, whoever ordered the execution must prove that Jamal Khashoggi was killed. If you remember, the same happened in Syria and the photos were published by Anadolu Agency. They stamped every Syrian opposition that they killed and gave them a number and photographed them. I was so surprised by this; you killed them, why did you number them?” Öztürk said.Pompeo calls on Saudi govt to investigate Khashoggi disappearancePressure Saudis on Khashoggi case: Yemeni Nobel winnerSaudi Arabia must show journalist made exit: ErdoğanSaudis to pay price if journalist killed: US senatorTrump ‘concerned’ over fate of Saudi journalist
Claims emerge that footage of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder exists