"A team of Saudi agents began arriving in Turkey the day before journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed and cameras at the consulate were removed," the Turkish president said at a meeting of his AK Party in parliament. He said Saudi authorities must reveal, regardless of rank, who planned killing of the Saudi writer.
Erdogan called for independent commission over Khashoggi murder and said he was confident of King Salman's cooperation in Khashoggi probe. The Turkish president also demanded to know where the body of Khashoggi was located.
Diplomatic immunity can not be an "armour" for murder, Vienna convention wouldn't allow it, Erdogan said and added that the issue of diplomatic immunity would also be discussed in regards to the case.
Erdogan said a Saudi team of 15 entered the consulate the day of the killing, and that three men from the team went on an exploration trip to Belgrad forest in Istanbul and Yalova, a 90-kilometre (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul.
Erdogan said blaming some intelligence members for killing will not satisfy Turkey.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler, disappeared three weeks ago after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage.
Turkish officials suspect Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the consulate by Saudi agents. Turkish sources say authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the killing of the 59-year-old.
Riyadh initially denied knowledge of his fate before saying he was killed in a fight in the consulate, a reaction greeted sceptically by several Western governments, straining relations with the world's biggest oil exporter.
from Times of India https://ift.tt/2CZJeNj
