Tapes show Khashoggi's fingers cut off before being decapitated, Turkish daily reports

Earlier reports cited audio and video tapes proving Khashoggi was tortured and murdered, but this marks the first time a Turkish daily said it listened to the recordings.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab & agencies

17 October, 2018

Khashoggi in Bahrain in 2014 [Getty]

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured and then decapitated inside Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul, a Turkish government daily said Wednesday.

The Yeni Safak newspaper said it had heard multiple audio recordings of the incident, and added Khashoggi's fingers were also cut off during the interrogation and before decapitation.

Khashoggi vanished on 2 October after entering the consulate for official documents ahead of his upcoming wedding to his Turkish fiancee. Turkish authorities say he was killed by a special team of 15 Saudi officials that flew into Istanbul and left the day Khashoggi arrived at the consulate.

They reportedly used a "bone saw" that was brought over from Saudi Arabia for that purpose, according to earlier reports.

The Washington Post has previously cited unnamed US and Turkish officials pointing to audio and video recordings that prove Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate and was then dismembered. But this is the first time Turkish media has claimed to hear the tapes.

Pro-government newspaper Sabah reported at the weekend that Khashoggi's Apple Watch recorded his interrogation, torture and killing, although some experts have said it is not likely that the watch could have recorded the events in the manner described.

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That report said interrogators had unlocked Khashoggi's Apple Watch using his fingerprint after discovering it was sending transmissions, but that line of Apple products doesn't offer the TouchID feature.

According to Yeni Safak, Saudi Arabia's consul to Istanbul, Mohammed al-Otaibi, can be heard on one tape saying during Khashoggi's torture: "Do this outside. You are going to get me in trouble".

The daily reported that in another tape, an unknown individual tells Otaibi: "If you want to live when you come to Saudi Arabia, be quiet!"

Yeni Safak did not say how the tapes came into existence or how it obtained them.

Otaibi left Istanbul on Tuesday for Riyadh ahead of a planned search of his residence as part of the official Turkish investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance.

On Monday, CNN cited two sources as saying the Saudis are preparing a report that Khashoggi's death resulted from a botched interrogation.

Saudi Arabia has strongly denied Khashoggi was killed at the consulate but has failed to explain the journalist's fate after entering its consulate building more than two weeks ago.

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