Turkey claims to have recording of assassination

WASHINGTON—Turkish officials have told the United States they have audio and video recordings proving Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, The Washington Post reported. The recordings are said to reveal that a Saudi intelligence team detained and killed Khashoggi. It’s unclear whether U.S. officials have obtained or examined the recordings or if the Turkish government described the contents to them. Khashoggi, a Saudi national living in self-imposed exile in Washington, D.C., wrote columns for The Washington Post critical of Saudi policies and actions under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He disappeared Oct. 2 when he went to the consulate to obtain an official document to marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz. The Post reported that the crown prince himself ordered the operation, according to U.S. intelligence sources that intercepted the plan. Saudi Arabia has denied all involvement with the disappearance and insisted that Khashoggi left the consulate through another exit. Officials have failed to provide any evidence for this claim.

Axios journalist Jonathan Swan said Friday that he received a text message Monday from the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Khalid bin Salman, who is the younger brother of Mohammed. He called the allegations “baseless.” Swan asked for video footage of Khashoggi leaving the consulate to back up the claim but said he has not heard back.