Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan to give detail on Jamal Khashoggi case

The Turkish president says Saudi officials planned the murder of Jamal Khashoggi days before his death.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Picture: AP

Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the international community would not be satisfied until everyone involved in the brutal murder of Saudi Arabian dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi- including the man at the top who gave the order to kill - was put on trial in Turkey.

Erdogan heaped pressure on King Salman of Saudi Arabia to take further action, but did not specifically mention the ruling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: “I do not doubt the sincerity of King Salman. That being said, independent investigation needs to be carried out. This is a political killing”

Mr Erdogan gave details of the extent of planning involved in the October 2 murder, including the arrival of six Saudi hit squad members a day earlier who had carried out reconnaissance in the forest areas around Istanbul.

“Answers must be sought because it takes place in Istanbul and we have position of responsibility, it’s our right to question this,’’ he said.

“As the fog slowly lifts, other countries will take action as well, we will not be silent against this murder and we will take any steps required by our conscience and the law.’’

Mr Erdogan spoke with King Salman a few days ago and said after the conversation the 18 people involved in the murder - the 15 hit squad members and three Saudi nationals who were working inside the consulate - were dealt with. But he said the men should be returned to Istanbul to face trial because the crime was committed within Turkish borders. Mr Erdogan said the US president Donald Trump ‘’had agreed to bring to light every aspect of this issue.’’

Earlier in one of the many drip feed of leaks about the investigation it emerged that Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s chief security and intelligence advisor made four telephone calls from inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to the Crown Prince’s office in Riyadh immediately after the ‘’nefarious murder’’.

This chief adviser, Maher ­Abdulaziz Mutreb, believed to be the leader of the alleged hit team, made the calls to the mobile phone of Bader al-Asaker, who manages Prince Mohammed’s office in ­Riyadh, on the afternoon of October 2.

Turkish media said Mr Mutreb also used his mobile on the same day to make a call to Washington, believed to be to Saudi envoy Khaled bin Salman, the prince’s brother.

The calls undermine claims by Saudi Arabia that Prince Mohammed was unaware of the murder. The Saudi insistence that Khashoggi’s death was a result of a rogue operation that went wrong has been widely ridiculed.

Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said: “The crown prince has denied this, he is not aware of this. This was an operation that was a rogue operation.”

Mr Erdogan was speaking at his weekly address in Ankara, and will pile pressure on Saudi Arabia’s key arms suppliers, the US and Great Britain, to impose arms bans.

The timing could not have been worse for Prince Mohammed, who was opening a global investment conference abandoned by Western leaders and business chiefs that was meant to energise investments in the country.

Turkish leaks claim Prince Mohammed’s enforcer, Saudi royal aide Saud al-Qahtani, beamed himself into the consul-general’s room on the second floor at the Saudi consulate in Turkey via Skype on October 2, insulting Khashoggi before saying: “Bring me the head of the dog.’’

But it was clear the seven-minute murder had been planned days before. The US-resident dissident had been at the consulate on the Friday seeking documents that would allow him to marry and was told to return four days later.

Early on October 2, 15 intelligence agents and royal guards arrived on private jets and split into two groups, preparing for Khashoggi’s arrival later that day.

One group, including forensic chief Salah Muhammed al-Tubaigy armed with a bone saw, and Mr Mutreb checked into the Movenpick hotel, 500m from the consulate. The others, including pilots from the Saudi air force, installed themselves in the Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levant hotel.

The killing squad arrived at the consulate shortly after 9am. Details of the recording of Khashoggi’s torture and death have been drip-fed by Turkish authorities as Saudi Arabia has ­obfuscated.

The Saudis’ cover-up story began unravelling when body double and royal guard Mustafa al-Madani, who put on Khashoggi’s clothes and a fake beard and went to the Sultanahmet market, wasn’t good enough to pass growing international scrutiny.

Mr Erdogan has seen strategic strength in ignoring delicate interventions of Saudi and US officials, culminating in his speech to his own AK party last night.

Turkey has been pitted against Saudi Arabia and its close allies Abu Dhabi and Egypt for regional power as the pre-eminent voice of Sunni Islam and it has given refuge to Muslim Brotherhood supporters and support to Qatar. This dramatic reputational downfall of Prince Mohammed has boosted Mr Erdogan’s own political Islamist authority in the region.

US President Donald Trump said he wasn’t satisfied with what he had heard about the case.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin met the crown prince behind closed doors in Riyadh for talks while CIA director Gina Haspel headed for Turkey.

Mr Mnuchin stressed “the importance of the Saudi-US strategic partnership”, which Mr Trump said was worth $US450 billion ($637bn). CIA ­director Gina Haspel is being sent to Turkey to work on the investigation.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the murder “appalling brutality”.

Yesterday the Saudi government had still to give Turkey permission to inspect an abandoned consulate vehicle in Istanbul.

In Indonesia yesterday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, meeting his Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi, said he wanted a “thorough and complete investigation’’ in which “ the truth is revealed’’. In Malaysia, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad called the killing a “terrible cruelty” that is “unacceptable to us”.

Additional reporting: AFP

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Picture: AP

“My demand is that 18 people be tried in Istanbul,” Erdogan said in a speech to ruling party lawmakers in Ankara, adding that “all those who played a role in the murder” had to face punishment.

Erdogan added he still wanted answers on numerous issues including “who gave orders” to the team and where the corpse is.

AP, AFP