Saudi Consulate employees testify on Khashoggi killing

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22 October 2018|12 Safar 1440|Anadolu Agency

A number of employees of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul have been testifying as part of an ongoing probe into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a judicial source said on Monday.

Prosecutors are currently taking statements of five employees at the Istanbul Caglayan Courthouse, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

The remaining 17 personnel — both Turkish and foreign nationals — are expected to appear at the courthouse for submitting their testimony as part of Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office’s probe, the sources added.

Last week, a total of 23 consulate employees had also spoken to the prosecutors.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After days of denying knowing 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.

A joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case on Thursday after searching the residence of the consul general as well as the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will make a statement on Khashoggi’s killing on Tuesday during his party’s group meeting at the parliament.

Turkey puts Khashoggi’s fiancée under 24-hour protection
Turkish authorities have put the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi under 24-hour police protection, the state-run Anadolu news agency said on Sunday.

The Istanbul governor’s office has put Cengiz, a Turkish national, under 24-hour police protection. Authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment on what prompted the decision to give her a security detail.

On the day Khashoggi disappeared, Cengiz waited for hours outside the consulate for him and, when he did not return, got in touch with authorities as he had instructed her to do, she later said.

After Saudi Arabia confirmed his death, she wrote on Twitter in Arabic: “They have taken your body from this world, but your beautiful smile will stay in my world forever.”