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TURKEY-SAUDI-DIPLOMACY-CRIME-POLICE
Two Saudis sent to Istanbul to ‘cover up’ Khashoggi murder: Turkish
official
ISTANBUL, Nov 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Saudi Arabia sent a toxicologist and a
chemicals expert to Istanbul to cover up the murder of journalist Jamal
Khashoggi before the Turkish police searched the kingdom’s consulate, a
senior Turkish official said on Monday.
“We believe that the two individuals came to Turkey for the sole purpose of
covering up evidence of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder before the Turkish police
were allowed to search the premises,” the official said on condition of
anonymity.
The official confirmed a report in the Sabah newspaper, which said that
chemicals expert Ahmad Abdulaziz al-Janobi and toxicology expert Khaled Yahya
al-Zahrani were among a team sent from Saudi Arabia purportedly to
investigate the murder last month.
The report said they visited the consulate every day from their arrival on
October 11 until October 17. Khashoggi was murdered inside the consulate on
October 2, Turkey has said, but Saudi Arabia only allowed Turkish police to
finally search the consulate on October 15.
“The fact that a clean-up team was dispatched from Saudi Arabia nine days
after the murder suggests that Khashoggi’s slaying was within the knowledge
of top Saudi officials,” added the official.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week the order to murder
Khashoggi came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government, while he
did “not believe for a second” that Saudi’s King Salman had ordered the
crime.
Turkish media have pointed the finger at powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman and analysts have said Ankara is keen to have the heir sidelined from
the nexus of power in Riyadh.
However Erdogan has yet to directly accuse Prince Mohammed, who has
condemned the murder “a repulsive incident”.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1548 hrs