ANKARA – Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as soon as he entered theSaudi consulate in Istanbul and then “cut into pieces”, Turkey’s chiefprosecutor said Wednesday, making details of the murder public for thefirst time.
A statement from the office of prosecutor Irfan Fidan said meetings withhis Saudi Arabian counterpart, who visited Istanbul this week, had produced“no concrete results” on the killing, which it said was premeditated.
Khashoggi, a 59-year-old Washington Post contributor, was murdered afterentering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain paperworkahead of his upcoming wedding. His body has not been found.
The statement comes hours after Saudi Arabia’s chief public prosecutorended his visit to Istanbul, during which he met Fidan twice and visitedthe kingdom’s consulate and the regional offices of the Turkishintelligence agency.
Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb reportedly refused to shareinformation from Riyadh’s own investigation.
“In accordance with plans made in advance, the victim, Jamal Khashoggi, wasstrangled to death immediately after entering the consulate on October 2,”the Istanbul prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Read Top Stories
“The victim’s body was dismembered and destroyed following his death bysuffocation -– again, in line with advance plans,” it added.
Turkish authorities said they were not satisfied after the talks with theSaudi prosecutor.
“Despite our well-intentioned efforts to reveal the truth, no concreteresults have come out of those meetings,” the Istanbul prosecutor’s officesaid. – APP/AFP
