Audio of Jamal Khashoggi killing 'appalling' and official believes perpetrator was 'on heroin', Turkish president says

Jamal Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2
Reuters
Patrick Grafton-Green13 November 2018

Audio of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killer is “appalling” and an official who listened to it believes the perpetrator must have been “on heroin”, Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Mr Erdogan discussed the audio tape, which has been shared with Turkey's western allies, with reporters while returning on a plane from a weekend visit to Paris.

During the visit which he discussed the Mr Khashoggi’s killing with US, French and German leaders.

"We played the recordings regarding this murder to everyone who wanted them from us. Our intelligence organisation did not hide anything. We played them to all who wanted them including the Saudis, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, Britain," he said.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the order for the killing came from the top level of Saudi authorities 
AP

He added: "The recordings are really appalling. Indeed when the Saudi intelligence officer listened to the recordings he was so shocked he said: 'This one must have taken heroin, only someone who takes heroin would do this'."

Mr Erdogan said it was clear the killing was planned and the order came from the top level of Saudi authorities.

"The crown prince says 'I will clarify the matter, I will do what is necessary'. We are waiting patiently," he said, adding that the perpetrators of the killing were among 18 suspects detained in Saudi Arabia.

"It must be revealed who gave them the order to murder."

Jamal Khashoggi's murder has sparked global outrage
PA

Mr Khashoggi, a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate on October 2.

Six weeks after his death, Turkey is trying to keep up pressure on the crown prince and has released a stream of evidence that undermined Riyadh's early denials of involvement.

CCTV shows Jamal Khashoggi enter consulate

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Prince Mohammed won support on Tuesday from US National Security Adviser John Bolton, who said he did not think recordings of the killing shared by Turkey implicated him.

"Certainly that is not the position of the Saudi government," he added in Singapore.

Asked again if the audio tape did not link Prince Mohammed to the killing in any way, Bolton said: "I haven’t listened to the tape myself but in the assessment of those who have listened to it, that is right."

Mr Khashoggi's murder has provoked global outrage but major powers have taken little concrete action against Saudi Arabia.

US president Donald Trump has expressed reluctance to punish the country economically, citing its multi-billion-dollar purchases of military equipment and investments in US firms

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