Turkey gets recordings of Saudi journalist Khashoggi's purported killing: Report

ISTANBUL

Turkish authorities have obtained audio and video recordings indicating that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was interrogated, tortured and killed at the Saudi consulate where he was last seen, a Turkish daily reported on Oct. 13.

"The moments when Khashoggi was interrogated, tortured and murdered were recorded in the Apple Watch's memory," daily Sabah said, adding that the watch had synched with his mobile phone which he had handed to his fiancee waiting outside the consulate.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Saudi Arabia arrived in Turkey for a joint investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance.

Two senior Turkish officials previously told Reuters that Khashoggi had been wearing a black Apple watch when he entered the consulate and that it was connected to a mobile phone he left outside.

However, it was not clear whether data from Khashoggi's watch could have been transmitted to his phone outside, or how investigators could have retrieved it without obtaining the watch themselves.

Sabah, which cited "reliable sources in a special intelligence department" for its report, said Khashoggi was believed to have turned on the recording feature on the phone before entering the consulate.

The paper said Saudi intelligence agents had realised after he died that the phone was recording and they used his finger print to unlock it, deleting some files, but not all of them. The recordings were
subsequently found on his phone, it said.

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to get documents for his forthcoming marriage. Saudi officials say he left shortly afterwards but Turkish officials and his fiancee, who was
waiting outside, said he never came out.

Turkish security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the initial assessment of the police was that Khashoggi had been deliberately killed inside the consulate.

On Oct. 12, Saudi Arabia's interior minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif condemned the "lies and baseless allegations" against the kingdom, although he praised the joint investigation with Turkey.

Macron to to speak with Turkish, Saudi counterparts

The French president said on Oct. 12 he is waiting for a clear picture on the disappearance of the prominent Saudi journalist.

"I am waiting for the truth and complete clarity," Emmanuel Macron told France 24 broadcaster.

"What's been mentioned is serious, very serious (...) France wants everything to be done so that we have all the truth on this case of which the first elements are extremely worrying," he added.

Macron also said that he will talk to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on this issue in the coming days.

U.S. President Donald Trump also said that he will speak with the Saudi King on the disappearence of U.S. citizen Khashoggi.