Khashoggi murder: Turkish president Erdogan to release more information on journalist's killing

Recep Tayyip Erdogan urges Saudi Arabia to disclose who gave order to murder writer

Turkey has more information about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi than it has shared so far, the country’s president has said.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has other “information and evidence” which it will eventually reveal.

Mr Erdogan called on Saudi Arabia to disclose the location of the slain journalist’s body and urged the kingdom to disclose who gave the order to kill him.

The Turkish president said Riyadh also needed to disclose the identity of the “local cooperator” who allegedly took Khashoggi’s body from Saudi agents after the journalist was killed in the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

“Who gave this order?” Mr Erdogan said in a speech to members of his AK Party in Ankara.

“Who gave the order for 15 people to come to Turkey?” he added, referring to a 15-man Saudi security team Turkey has said flew into Istanbul hours before the killing.

“It is clear that he has been killed but where is it? You have to show the body,” he said.

Mr Erdogan criticised initial Saudi statements which claimed Khashoggi had left the consulate unharmed after going there for paperwork to marry his fiancee.

“He will leave the consulate and not take his fiancee with him? Such childish statements do not go hand in hand with statesmanship,” the president said, again urging Saudi Arabia to turn over 18 suspects the kingdom said it had arrested and would punish for the crime.

“If you cannot get them to speak ... then hand them over to us and let us put them on trial,” he added.

Mr Erdogan also said Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor was due to meet the Istanbul prosecutor in the capital on Sunday.

The pro-government newspaper Sabah said 3,500 hours of recordings have been examined so far and a team of 750 people has been formed to investigate the murder.

Saudi officials initially denied having anything to do with Khashoggi’s disappearance after he entered the consulate, before changing the official account to say an internal investigation suggested he was accidentally killed in a botched operation to return him to the kingdom.

On Thursday, Saudi Arabia admitted the killing of Khashoggi was premeditated, reversing previous statements which said his death was unintended.

The Saudi public prosecutor said suspects were being interrogated on the basis of information provided by a joint Saudi-Turkish task force.

The latest news contradicts the conclusion of some Washington figures close to Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council who have speculated that Mr Erdogan has already cut a deal with Riyadh which would rescue the crown prince from culpability in the murder.