A guard at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. Photo / AP
A guard at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. Photo / AP
A spokesman for Turkey's ruling party vowed that the Government would "uncover what has happened" to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as scepticism mounted over Saudi Arabia's account that he was killed on October 2 during a fistfight inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
The Saudi explanation - that an argument in the consulate led to a fatal brawl - is at odds with the conclusions of Turkish investigators, who believe that Khashoggi was deliberately killed by Saudi agents who had been dispatched to Istanbul for the purpose. Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was a prominent critic of the Saudi leadership.
"We don't blame anyone in advance, but we do not consent to this being covered up," said the ruling-party spokesman, Omer Celik.
As Saudi Arabia's closest Arab allies rushed to its defence, the results of the Saudi investigation were being greeted with scepticism or derision by others, including several US lawmakers and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
But Turkey's reaction is being especially closely watched, because Turkish authorities are said to possess evidence, including audio recordings, that could reveal exactly how Khashoggi died. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Government has so far refused to publicly share that evidence, possibly to protect Turkish surveillance methods but also, analysts said, to preserve a measure of leverage over the Saudis and the Trump Administration, which has tried to protect its Saudi allies.
Khashoggi, a resident of Virginia, vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate to obtain documents that he needed to remarry. For more than two weeks, Saudi Arabia denied any knowledge of his whereabouts and insisted that he had walked out of the consulate unharmed. The journalist's disappearance and slaying have sparked intense criticism of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto ruler, tarnishing his image in the West as a reformer.
On Saturday, the Saudi Government acknowledged for the first time that Khashoggi was dead. Saudi authorities said they had fired five officials, including two of Mohammed's advisers, and arrested 18 other Saudi nationals as a result of the preliminary investigation.
In a possible attempt to derail Turkey's investigation, Saudi Arabia's Justice Minister, Walid bin Mohammed al-Samaani, said that Saudi courts had jurisdiction over the case because it occurred in a Saudi consulate, which "falls within the sovereignty of the Kingdom" .
US President Donald Trump told reporters that he would be speaking to the crown prince soon and is considering placing sanctions on Saudi Arabia, though preferably not on US sales of military equipment. "That would hurt us far more" than it would harm the Saudis.
He said no one in his Administration had heard audio or seen video of what transpired in the consulate or had reviewed transcripts of any recordings. "I'm not satisfied until we find the answer," he said.
Jamal Khashoggi is seen in a video where a cat jumped into his lap. Photo / AP
Trump appeared initially to accept the Saudi explanation, but US lawmakers, intelligence officials and foreign policy experts accused Riyadh of a cover-up. "This is an admission of guilt, but the Saudis still aren't coming clean with the truth," Jack Reed, top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said. "The Saudi's latest version of events still isn't credible, and the Trump Administration must not be complicit in allowing them to sweep this under the rug." Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Saudi version of events changes "with each passing day, so we should not assume their latest story holds water".
Merkel and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas issued a statement saying: "We expect transparency from Saudi Arabia about the circumstances of his death. . . . The information available about events in Istanbul is inadequate". Maas also told ARD that "as long as we don't know what happened, there's no basis for reaching positive decisions on arms exports to Saudi Arabia".
Fred Ryan, the Washington Post's publisher and chief executive, called the Saudi explanation a "cover-up".
The kingdom's closest Arab allies, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, have pledged their support. Saudi Arabia's preliminary investigation "demonstrates the Kingdom's keenness and commitment to finding the truth of this incident," Egypt's Foreign Ministry said.
Turkish investigators are still searching for Khashoggi's body. Fatih Oke, a representative of the Turkish Arab Media Association, said: "We want Jamal's murderers to be punished. However, we want punishments not only for the 18 men, but also for the authorities that gave the orders."
Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, posted a video of him on Twitter, depicting a light moment when a cat jumped onto his lap during a March interview. "They took your bodily presence from my world," she wrote. "But your beautiful laugh will remain in my soul forever."
