Turkey claims to have audio, video recordings to prove Khashoggi's murder: Report

Turkey claims that it has audio and video recordings that prove the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi took place inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month. A media report quoted a source as saying that the evidence Turkey has, shows signs of assault and struggle inside the consulate.

The foreign intelligence service was shocked by the nature of the evidence provided by the Turkish officials, the report said.

Citing anonymous US and Turkey officials, the US media report further said that the audio recording reveals persuasive and gruesome evidence of a Saudi team sent to Istanbul being responsible for the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Both CNN and Washington Post declared that Turkey possessed audio and video recordings to prove Khashoggi's killing inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The post further quoted the officials as saying that the voice of Khashoggi and other men speaking in Arabic can be heard in the recordings which shows how the journalist was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.

Senior journalist Khashoggi, 59, a strong critic of the Saudi establishment had taken US citizenship after leaving his country and had written several articles against Saudi Arabia's repressive policies for the Washington Post.

The New York Times had revealed on Wednesday that a group of 15 men flew down to Turkey in a private jet in order to kill Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The Turkish government openly accused Saudi Arabia of colluding to kill the journalist.

Khashoggi had entered the Saudi consulate to submit documents seeking a divorce from his wife living in Saudi Arabia so that he could remarry again in Turkey.

Saudi Arabia has denied any hand in Khashoggi's disappearance asserting that he walked out of the consulate from the back door. However, his fiance, Hatice Cengiz, who accompanied him to the consulate on October 2 said he never came out of the consulate as she waited outside. 

Turkey has asked Saudi Arabia to present evidence to prove that he left the consulate.

Khashoggi's own website on October 3 had posted a message saying he was arrested at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul but state-run Saudi Press Agency said he had left the building and the consulate was carrying out follow-up procedures and coordinating with the Turkish authorities to "uncover the circumstances" of his disappearance.