A file photo dated May 6, 2018 shows prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Photo / Getty
A file photo dated May 6, 2018 shows prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Photo / Getty
Body parts of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi have reportedly been found and reveal "grisly detail" of how his face was disfigured.
The journalist's remains were found in the garden of the Consul General's home in Istanbul, Sky News reported, citing legal and political sources.
The development came as Khashoggi's grieving son Salah faced down Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Yamama Palace in Riyadh. Salah, who has reportedly been under a travel ban since last year, stared coldly into the eyes of the man accused of plotting his father's murder as they shook hands.
In this photo released by Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, shakes hands with Salah Khashoggi, a son of Jamal Khashoggi, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, yesterday. Photo / AP
He and Khashoggi's brother Sahel were also greeted by Saudi King Salman, after the royals invited them to the palace to offer their condolences. The Saudi government insists the King and Crown Prince had no prior knowledge of the plan to kill Khashoggi.
The chilling meeting followed an address by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who labelled the death a "savage murder" committed by a team of assassins who carefully planned the killing.
In that address, the president said the remains hadn't been found, and asked: "Why has the body of someone who was officially said to be killed not been found yet?"
Slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi with fiancee Hatice Cengiz.
Erdogan told the Turkish parliament it was clear it was a premeditated and meticulously planned political assassination, where Saudi officials began plotting against Khashoggi in late September, days ahead of his disappearance after he entered the consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
Having promised to reveal the "naked truth" of a Saudi plot to kill the Washington Post columnist, Mr Erdogan said that a team including Saudi generals had flown in to carry out the mission.
Saudi citizen Khashoggi has been a fierce critic of the leadership of Saudi Arabia, and in particular the Crown Prince.
A Saudi consulate staff's vehicle is loaded on a tow truck in front of the Saudi consulate on October 22 as the world waited for answers as to what happened to Jamal Khashogi. Photo / Getty
However, Erdogan made no reference to any audio or video recordings, something that would be seriously damaging to the Saudi government.
He did not mention Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who some US politicians have speculated ordered the murder - but did speak of Saudi King Salman's "sincerity" in the inquiry so far.
Erdogan vowed Turkey would continue in its pursuit of the truth.
"From the person who gave the order, to the person who carried it out, they must all be brought to account."
He demanded Saudi Arabia reveal who helped the killers - someone he called a "local cooperator" - who supposedly took Khashoggi's remains away.
Jordan's King Abdullah II, left, listens to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, at the Future Investment Initiative conference which opened in Riyadh yesterday. Photo / AP
The president said three people secretly entered Turkey three days before the killing and scouted a forest near Istanbul - suggesting the trio may have been looking for a place to dump the body, according to a Guardian analysis.
His address came after more than two weeks of carefully orchestrated leaks to the media by Turkey that implicated the highest levels of the government of Saudi Arabia in the death of Khashoggi.
The last few hours of Khashoggi's life have been revealed in images published by Turkish media outlets.
Jamal Khashoggi has been pictured in his final hours. Source / A News
The Saudi journalist can be seen holding hands with Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz, as they visit the local marriage office and enter their apartment block in the hours leading up to his fatal visit to the consulate.
In the wake of his death, Cengiz said she has been the subject of abuse from online Saudi trolls who have questioned the authenticity of their relationship.
"A severe smear campaign has been initiated in Saudi Arabia against myself," she told Turkish daily newspaper Sabah on October 11, more than a week after her fiance disappeared. "This is being carried out by both Saudi-supported news agencies and (internet) trolls.
The couple were seen holding hands as they left the marriage office together. Source / A News
"This is, of course, quite saddening. Such reflexes alone show that there is much suspicion about the issue."
The new photos and footage clearly show the couple holding hands as they leave the marriage office together.
The photos back up Cengiz's account that the couple had bought an apartment and intended to marry as soon as they received the appropriate paperwork from the Saudi consulate.
In a heartfelt New York Times piece which ran earlier this month, the doctoral student said the couple had been "cheerful" the morning they travelled to the consulate.
A file photo dated May 6, 2018 shows prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Photo / Getty
"We were going to browse appliances for our new home and meet with our friends and family members over dinner," she wrote. "When we arrived at the consulate, he went right in. He told me to alert the Turkish authorities if I did not hear from him soon."
She said the pair bonded over their "shared passion for democracy, human rights and freedom of expression" when they met at a conference in Istanbul.
"I had planned a party, inviting his closest friends to surround him with the love and warmth that he had missed," she wrote. "We would have been married now."
She also said Khashoggi saw himself as a "lonely patriot" who was "using his pen for the good of his country".
Of the Saudi Government, she said: "If the allegations are true, and Jamal has been murdered by the errand boys of Mohammed bin Salman, he is already a martyr.
She also addressed reports US President Donald Trump is seeking to invite her to the White House, saying: "If he makes a genuine contribution to the efforts to reveal what happened inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that day, I will consider accepting his invitation."
Two nights ago, Cengiz made a farewell tweet to her late partner, saying: "They took your bodily presence from my world. But your beautiful laugh will remain in my soul forever. My darling #jkhashoggi".
