After three weeks of lying to the world, Saudi Arabia has admitted journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside their consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
Eighteen Saudi nationals have been arrested, the state prosecutor said in a statement to media, adding, “the kingdom expresses its deep regret.”
But despite sending a squad of 15 men into the consulate, Saudi Arabai is now claiming “a brawl and a fist fight” led to Khashoggi’s death.
However, they have not revealed where his body is or why they attempted to cover up his death.
Turkey claims to have a recording of Khashoggi’s final moments before he was murdered.
His killers were waiting when Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. They severed his fingers and later beheaded and dismembered him, according to details from audio recordings described by a senior Turkish official today.
Khashoggi was dead within minutes, and within two hours the killers were gone, the recordings suggested.
The New York Times reported one of the suspects was a frequent companion of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Three others are linked by witnesses and other records to the Saudi crown prince’s security detail.
A fifth is a forensic doctor who holds senior positions in the Saudi Interior Ministry and medical establishment, a figure of such stature that he could be directed only by a high-ranking Saudi authority.
If, as the Turkish authorities say, these men were present at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul where Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2, they might provide a direct link between what happened and Prince Mohammed.
President Trump had defended Saudi Arabia, even floating the idea that it was “rogue killers.
Tonight the White House said it was “saddened” by the news. Trump has said he will work with Congress to determine the next move.
Trump has also denied having personal financial interests in Saudi Arabia, but that is not true.
Saudi Arabia said it will restructure its intelligence agencies after the killing of Khashoggi, under King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud’s orders.
However, the mission is said to be led by his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was suspected of being behind Khashoggi’s disappearance in some versions of stories alleging what happened to the Washington Post writer.