An Al Jazeera investigative report reveals that prominent Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s body had most likely been disposed of in a furnace at the Istanbul home of Saudi Arabia’s consul general to Turkey. The report details how meat had been cooked in the same furnace to cover up the acrid giveaway of the slain journalist’s burning body, which may have taken three days to be incinerated.
During the murder, Khashoggi’s blood was reportedly splattered across the office walls of consul-general Mohammad al-Otaibi. The stained walls were then re-painted to cover up the crime. Later, Turkish authorities discovered traces of Khashoggi’s blood hidden beneath layers of new paint on these walls.
Khashoggi, 59, was a staunch critic of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS). On Oct 2, 2018, Khashoggi went into the Saudi consulate-general to submit pertinent documents in order to marry his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz. He never came out of the building alive. After weeks of investigations, Khashoggi nor his body could not be found.
In a joint investigation with Saudi police, Turkish investigators discovered and concluded that Khashoggi was indeed murdered by Saudi agents in the consul-general’s office, and evidence had been obviously tampered with to cover up tracks.
Intelligence reports also reveal that MBS had previously threatened to use “a bullet” on Khashoggi if the journalist continued to criticize the Saudi government.
Saudi Arabia had repeatedly denied that Khashoggi had been murdered in their consulate-general but later, the country’s government charged 11 Saudi nationals and dismissed two senior officials over Khashoggi’s murder.
Khashoggi’s murder has sparked worldwide outrage and concerns for international security.
US President Trump has been accused of siding with Saudi Arabia and covering up the assassination. Through this, critics have said that Trump has determined that maintaining diplomatic relations between the US and Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest exporter of oil, was a higher priority than taking accountability for the murder of a journalist.
https://theindependent.sg.sg/the-jamal-khashoggi-killing-as-seen-by-washington-conservative-think-tank/