Man linked to Saudi crown prince at embassy during Khashoggi 'murder'

A Turkish pro-government newspaper on Thursday published surveillance video images showing a man who is known to have travelled with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's entourage walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul moments before writer Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on 2 October.

The Sabah newspaper's report also shows images of the man outside the residence of the Saudi consul general and checking out of a Turkish hotel. He left Turkey the same day that Khashoggi vanished.

Images shot by the Houston Chronicle later distributed by the Associated Press show the same man was in Prince Mohammed's entourage when he visited a Houston sub-division in April to see rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey.

The AP couldn't immediately verify the man's identity. Saudi Arabia has not responded to repeated requests for comment from the AP over recent days, including on Thursday.

On Wednesday, grim details emerged of the alleged fate of Khashoggi inside the consulate. According to a Turkish daily newspaper, which claimed it had obtained tapes from the consulate, Khashoggi was tortured and had his fingers cut off during interrogation and then decapitated.

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. 

Washington Post late on Tuesday published passport scans of the suspects allegedly involved in the journalist's killing, while another report detailed close links between the suspects and the powerful crown prince accused of ordering the murder.

Among the group was a leading coroner and other security officials, who Turkish intelligence alleged are linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia's al-Arabiya broadcaster claimed the 15 men were "tourists".