Monday 22 January 2024

NAKED TRUTH': Turkey to reveal finding into death of Jamal Khashoggi.

The Turkish president's address comes as Saudi Arabia presses ahead with a major summit designed to drum up investment.

By Philip Whiteside, international news reporter

07:45, UK, Tuesday 23 October 2018

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul
Image:
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul
Turkey's president has said he will reveal the "naked truth" about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi today, as Saudi Arabia presses ahead with a major conference despite high-profile attendees dropping out.

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan will make his address to parliament later this morning - revealing the latest developments in Ankara's investigation into the journalist's death at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Omer Celik, the spokesman for Mr Erdogan's ruling AK Party, has said: "We are facing a situation that has been monstrously planned and later tried to be covered up. It is a complicated murder."

Video:
CCTV of 'suspicious' Saudi car movement
Despite facing growing pressure from the international community, Riyadh is pressing ahead with its Future Investment Initiative - a summit dubbed "Davos in the Desert".

The UK's International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and business magnate Richard Branson are among those who have dropped out of the event as pressure on Saudi Arabia has grown.

Others have decided to attend, despite the event being overshadowed by the growing global outrage at the suspected state-sanctioned murder.

:: Who is shunning Saudi Arabia's 'Davos in the desert'

:: Analysis - Erdogan may still pull his punches on Khashoggi 'truth'

Saudi journalists collecting their press badges at the press center of the Future Investment Initiative FII
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Journalists collecting their press badges at Riyadh's Future Investment Initiative
On Saturday, the Saudis admitted that Mr Khashoggi had died in their consulate in Istanbul but claimed it was in a fist fight.

On Monday, CNN reported that one of the "hit squad" apparently changed into the journalist's clothes as part of a decoy attempt.

Mr Khashoggi was a known critic of the Saudi government and the country's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Photos have emerged of Mr Mnuchin meeting with Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh - with the crown prince facing scrutiny amid concerns that members of his personal guard may have been involved in Mr Khashoggi's death.

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US treasury spokesman Tony Sayegh has said the investigation into the journalist's death was raised during their talks - but Mr Mnuchin is not planning to attend the investment summit.

:: Mohammed bin Salman: Reformer or tyrant?

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Steve Mnuchin met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pic: Saudi Foreign Ministry
The crown prince had been hoping that the investment summit would further cement the attempts to rebrand his country and move its economy away from a long-standing reliance on oil.

Dozens of executives from groups like Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Uber and the International Monetary Fund have pulled out.

On Monday, it appeared as if the website of the event, called the Future Investment Initiative, had been hacked.

And, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Berlin would not be exporting arms to Riyadh "in the current situation", all eyes were on other major exporters of weapons, including the UK, to see if they would take action against the Saudis.

:: World leaders demand answers over 'monstrous' journalist killing

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Trump 'not satisfied' with Saudi explanation
It has also been revealed that CIA director Gina Haspel is headed for Turkey, although details of her trip have not been released and were not immediately clear.

More from Jamal Khashoggi
Erdogan may still pull his punches when revealing Khashoggi 'truth'
Jamal Khashoggi: World leaders demand answers over 'monstrous' journalist killing
Jamal Khashoggi: 'Saudi decoy caught on CCTV wearing journalist's clothes'
Jamal Khashoggi: Erdogan vows to reveal all that happened 'in all its nakedness'
Jamal Khashoggi: Trump changes tone with Saudi Arabia over killing
Jamal Khashoggi: Turkey 'won't allow cover-up' of journalist's death
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Reports from Turkish state media say a 15-member Saudi team flew to Istanbul on 2 October, knowing Mr Khashoggi would enter the consulate to get a document he needed to get married.

Once he was inside, the media reports say, members of the Saudi team grabbed him, cut off his fingers, killed him and dismembered the 59-year-old writer.

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