Jamal Khashoggi was victim of 'ferocious' pre-planned murder, Erdogan says

Replay Video

UP NEXT

Historic blizzard impacts 18 states and 50 million people

Up to 2 feet of snow is expected to impact many western states as winds strengthen.

ABC News
House Democrats grill bankers - and it's not pretty

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon had some trouble with Rep. Katie Porter's questions about numbers.

MSNBC
Barr to face Congress with Mueller report no longer hypothetical

Rachel Maddow looks ahead at two upcoming congressional hearings featuring Attorney General William Barr. Lawrence O'Donnell points out that his past excuse of refusing to answer hypothetical questions about a special counsel report is no longer available.

MSNBC

Cancel

Turkish President addresses Khashoggi murder

CNN

See more videos

What to watch next

UP NEXT

Jamal Khashoggi died as a result of a brutal premeditated murder, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, in a highly anticipated speech in which he rejected Saudi Arabia's claim that the journalist was killed accidentally.

Erdogan called on the perpetrators to be brought to justice in Istanbul and questioned whether the Vienna Conventions, which give immunity to diplomatic staff, applied in this case.

It was the first time that any official in Turkey has publicly outlined the Turkish contention that Khashoggi was killed by a hit squad sent from Saudi Arabia. But while Erdogan had promised the "naked truth," he offered few details beyond those revealed by Turkish officials speaking privately.

The main thrust of his speech amounted to a comprehensive rejection of Saudi Arabia's case that Khashoggi died by accident, as a result of a brawl. "The information obtained so far and the evidence found shows that Khashoggi was murdered in a ferocious manner," Erdogan told lawmakers in Ankara.

Among the new details revealed by Erdogan was an allegation that, on the day before Khashoggi was killed, a team of consular staff carried out a reconnaissance mission at two separate locations in Belgrad Forest, on the outskirts of Istanbul, and at Yalova, a city about a 55 mile (90 kilometer) drive south of the city.

He put into the public domain allegations that a 15-strong hit squad arrived in Istanbul, saying that a team of three arrived on a private jet the day before Khashoggi died, and that two teams of nine and three -- the larger team including "generals" -- arrived on the day of his appointment at the consulate.

Hours before Khashoggi arrived to obtain paperwork to marry his fiancee, security cameras were disconnected, Erdogan said.

"We stated that we would not remain silent and that we would take every step necessary for justice to be done," Erdogan said to members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

But there were some glaring omissions and few new details in the speech. Much of what Erdogan said in the parliamentary address has already appeared in media reports and he made no reference to a previously reported audio recording from inside the consulate, said to have captured his alleged torture and killing. Nor did he mention Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom's de facto ruler, by name.

Full screen

1/40 SLIDES © AFP

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, went missing after entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2. Authorities now say the 59-year-old Washington Post contributor was murdered. An investigation into the circumstances is ongoing and the whereabouts of his corpse is still unknown.

2/40 SLIDES © ourtesy Time Magazine/Handout via REUTERS

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, named TIME's Person of the Year 2018, is seen on the cover in this image released from New York on Dec. 11.

3/40 SLIDES © Reuters TV/via Reuters

A still image taken from CCTV video and obtained by TRT World claims to show Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as he arrives at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2.

4/40 SLIDES © Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Hatice Cengiz, fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, is seen during an interview with Reuters in London, Britain, Oct. 29.

5/40 SLIDES © FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C) arrives to attend a session during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, on Oct. 2.

6/40 SLIDES © Saudi Press Agency/AP Photo

Saudi King Salman gives his annual policy speech in the ornate hall of the consultative Shura Council, on Nov. 19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Salman gave his first major speech since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, expressing support for his son, the crown prince, and making no mention of the accusations that the prince ordered the killing.

7/40 SLIDES © Leah Millis/Reuters

President Donald Trump talks to reporters about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey during a bill signing ceremony at the White House in Washington, on Oct. 23.

8/40 SLIDES © Murad Sezer/Reuters

A woman holding a picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi attends a symbolic funeral prayer for Khashoggi at the courtyard of Fatih mosque on Nov. 16. in Istanbul, Turkey.

9/40 SLIDES © Reuters TV/Reuters

Still images taken from two different CCTV videos and obtained by Turkish security sources claim to show Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi as he arrives at Saudi Arabia's Consulate and another man allegedly wearing Khashoggi's clothes while walking in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2.

10/40 SLIDES © A News/Handout/Reuters

A still image taken from CCTV video and obtained by A News claims to show Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and his fiancee entering their residence on the day he disappeared in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2.

11/40 SLIDES © TRT World/Handout/Reuters

A still image taken from CCTV video and obtained by TRT World claims to show Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, highlighted in a red circle by the source, as he arrives at Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 2.

12/40 SLIDES © CCTV/TRT World/AP

This image taken from CCTV video, made available on Oct. 21, purportedly shows Jamal Khashoggi talking to his fiancee Hatice Cengiz, seen in expanded view, before entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, on Oct. 2.

13/40 SLIDES © CCTV/TRT World/AP

This image taken from CCTV, made available on Oct. 21, purportedly shows Jamal Khashoggi entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, on Oct. 2.

14/40 SLIDES © Amer Hilabi/AFP/Getty Images

Salah Khashoggi (R), the son of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and his relatives receive mourners at an events hall in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Nov. 16.

15/40 SLIDES © Mark Wilson/Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media in the briefing room at the Department of State, on Nov. 20 in Washington, DC. Pompeo met with Turkish Foreign Minister Meylut Cavusglu after President Trump released a statement signaling that the United States will stand by Saudi Arabia after the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

16/40 SLIDES © Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images

People attend a symbolic funeral prayer for Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the courtyard of Fatih mosque in Istanbul, on Nov. 16.

17/40 SLIDES © Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images

Yemeni human rights activist Tawakkol Karman (R), who won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her participation in the Arab Spring uprisings, sits next to Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's Turkish fiancée, as she wipes her tears during a commemoration event in Istanbul Nov. 11.

18/40 SLIDES © Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir addresses a news conference in the desert kingdom's capital Riyadh on Nov. 15.

19/40 SLIDES © Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Saudi prosecutor Saud al-Mujeb (left) leaves the official car with his guards before returning to his country after visiting Turkey over the investigation of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 31.

20/40 SLIDES © Elif Ozturk/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Saudi Arabian Attorney General Saud al-Mujeb and his delegation leave from the Saudi Consulate within the investigation of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 30.

21/40 SLIDES © John Stillwell/PA Images/Getty Images

People attend a memorial event for murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Mechanical Engineers Institute, on Oct. 29, in London.

22/40 SLIDES © Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Private company members use a sewer inspection robot to inspect a sewer the Saudi consulate, as the waiting continues on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 26.

23/40 SLIDES © Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

A mock street sign reading "Khashoggi Street" is erected by Amnesty International activists on the street in front of the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London on Nov. 2 to mark one month since journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul.

24/40 SLIDES © Presidential Press Service/AP Photo

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talks during a gendarmerie and coast guard academy's graduation ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct. 26. The Saudi officials who killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in their Istanbul consulate must reveal the location of his body, Turkey's president said Friday in remarks that were sharply critical of the kingdom's handling of the case. Erdogan also said Saudi Arabia's chief prosecutor will arrive in Turkey on Sunday.

25/40 SLIDES © Jacques Demarthon/AFP/Getty Images

Protestors hold placards as they stage a protest outside the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Paris on Oct. 26, after the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.

26/40 SLIDES © Osman Orsal/Reuters

Consul General of Saudi Arabia Mohammad al-Otaibi answers questions during an interview with Reuters at Saudi Arabia's consulate, where Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen, in Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 6.

27/40 SLIDES © Yasin Akgul/AFP/Getty Images

A protestor wears a mask of depicting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman with red painted hands next to people holding posters of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during the demonstration outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, on Oct. 25.

28/40 SLIDES © Osman Orsal/Reuters

Egyptian politician Ayman Nour talks to the media as friends of Jamal Khashoggi hold posters and banners with his pictures during a demonstration outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 25.

29/40 SLIDES © Jean-Francois Badias/AP Photo

European Parliament members vote on a motion on the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Thursday Oct. 25. European Union lawmakers are calling for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia as well as ban on equipment that could be used in any crack-down in response to the killing of writer Jamal Khashoggi.

Turkish forensics arrive at an underground parking lot cordoned off by Turkish police after they found an abandoned car belonging to the Saudi consulate, on Oct. 23 in Istanbul.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on Oct. 23. Saudi officials murdered Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in their Istanbul consulate after plotting his death for days, Erdogan said, contradicting Saudi Arabia's explanation that the writer was accidentally killed. He demanded that the kingdom reveal the identities of all involved, regardless of rank.

Led by activist Medea Benjamin (C), about 17 protesters from Code Pink: Women for Peace demonstrate against U.S. involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen in the offices of Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill Oct. 22, in Washington, DC. Sparked by the apparent murder of Saudi dissident and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, the Code Pink activists called on senators to support Senate Joint Resolution 54, war powers legislation that would end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Turkish forensics enter an underground car park cordoned off by Turkish police, on Oct. 22, in Istanbul, after they found an abandoned car belonging to the Saudi consulate, three weeks after the apparent murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Activists dressed as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a demonstration calling for sanctions against Saudi Arabia and to protest the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, outside the White House in Washington, on Oct. 19.

A Turkish police K9 unit arrives to search the back garden of the Saudi Arabian consulate general residence as investigations continue on Oct. 17 in Istanbul.

Turkish forensic police search for evidence at the garden of the Saudi Arabia's Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi on Oct. 17, in Istanbul.

Turkish forensic officials arrive to the residence of Saudi Arabia's Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi in Istanbul, Turkey Oct. 17.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) walks alongside Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh, on Oct. 16.

Tawakkol Karman, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate for 2011, gestures as she talks to members of the media about the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, near the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, on Oct. 8.

Human rights activists and friends of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi hold his pictures during a protest outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 8.

40/40 SLIDES

Slideshow by photo services

Bin Salman, in public comments the day after Khashoggi disappeared, professed to know nothing about any malfeasance, insisting Khashoggi had left the Istanbul consulate alive.

Erdogan called on the King of Saudi Arabia for the 18 Saudi suspects linked to Khashoggi's death be tried in Istanbul.

After weeks of denying any knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts, the Saudi government said on Friday that the journalist had indeed died in the kingdom's diplomatic compound in Istanbul. The Saudi story has shifted drastically since Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on October 2; the official line is now that he was accidentally killed when a discussion with officials turned into a brawl.

Erdogan presented a very different version of events on Tuesday, speaking in Ankara as Saudi Arabia's flagship investment conference got underway in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Dozens of top business leaders from around the world have pulled out of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's showcase event, known as "Davos in the desert," as questions mount over the Saudi government's role in the death of the Washington Post columnist and US resident.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, October 23, 2018.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Sunday that Khashoggi's killing was part of a rogue operation and that his government would punish those responsible for his "murder."

But Turkish officials have maintained from the start that Khashoggi's death was "violently planned" ahead of time, carried out by a team of Saudi operatives dispatched to Istanbul, and subsequently covered up.

In the intervening weeks, Turkish officials have released a drip-feed of information related to their investigation into Khashoggi's murder, including surveillance footage shared exclusively with CNN that showed what a Turkish source described as a "body double" leaving the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on the day Khashoggi died. The Saudi operative, said by the Turkish source to be one of a 15-man team sent from Saudi Arabia to kill Khashoggi, was wearing the journalist's clothes and was picked up on surveillance footage at locations around Istanbul.

Erdogan confirmed the body double in CNN's exclusive.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that evidence uncovered during the investigation has yet to be shared with any country, according to Turkey state-run Anadolu News, but that Turkey was "ready to cooperate in a possible probe into Khashoggi case at UN, international courts."

"Jamal Khashoggi's killing is a violently planned and a very complicated murder, which was being covered up," Omer Celik, AKP spokesman, said at the party's headquarters in Ankara on Monday. "I hope those responsible for Khashoggi's killing are punished and no one ever thinks of repeating this."

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Erdogan's spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said: "The line our President put since the beginning of this case is very clear. The investigation will continue until the end."

Jamal Khashoggi was victim of 'ferocious' pre-planned murder, Erdogan says

Turkish President addresses Khashoggi murder

Historic blizzard impacts 18 states and 50 million people

House Democrats grill bankers - and it's not pretty

Barr to face Congress with Mueller report no longer hypothetical

Toobin calls out Nielsen: She'll get what she deserves

Nunes' 8 criminal referrals target criminal conspiracy, global leaks, lying to Congress

U.S. Secret Service director is out, latest casualty in DHS shakeup

2nd "bomb cyclone" expected to bring heavy snow to upper Midwest and Central Plains

What is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps?

Is Stephen Miller in charge?

Mulvaney: Democrats will 'never' get President Trump's tax returns

Starved infants crowd Syrian hospitals after IS defeat

University offers class on 'angry white male'

Severe weather threatens 40 million across the country

Family takes photo with hidden camera found in Airbnb

Trump stresses 'emergency' during border visit

Olivia Jade is 'devastated' by college cheating scandal

Chinese scientists defend implanting human gene into monkeys' brains

Robert Kraft wants prostitution sting video suppressed. The media wants it released.

Found the story interesting?

Send MSN Feedback

We appreciate your input!