Saudi public prosecutor holds 2nd round of talks in Istanbul, visits Riyadh’s consulate

Amid investigations into the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the kingdom’s public prosecutor holds a second round of talks with Turkish officials in Istanbul before visiting Riyadh’s consulate, where the crime took place.

Saud al-Mojeb sat down with Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, Irfan Fidan, at the city’s main courthouse for a second time on Tuesday.

The meeting lasted around an hour. Mojeb and the delegation accompanying him then headed to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Khashoggi was killed this month.

Turkish broadcaster TRT reported that Mojeb had on Monday asked to be given the full findings of the Turkish investigation into Khashoggi’s death, including all images and audio recordings.

Turkish investigators, however, rejected the request and instead urged the Saudi prosecutor to reveal information about the location of Khashoggi’s body, the report added.

Khashoggi, an outspoken critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, vanished at Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Riyadh initially claimed that the journalist had walked out of the mission.

Later, however, it said that Khashoggi was killed accidentally in a “fist fight” with a Saudi hit squad. Most recently, Mojeb said that the killing of the Washington Post columnist was “premeditated” by Saudi operatives.

The kingdom announced the arrest of 18 Saudi suspects in the murder and the sacking of two top officials.

Ankara called for the extradition of the suspects, an appeal rejected by Riyadh.

At a memorial service for Khashoggi in London on Monday, his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, held the Saudi authorities responsible for the killing, singling out US President Donald Trump for “paving the way for a cover-up.”

Khashoggi’s murder has led to a major diplomatic crisis for Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has denied any involvement of the crown prince in the killing, but reports say some members of the hit squad were from bin Salman’s personal security staff.

Turkish investigators have said they are in possession of recordings that show Khashoggi was tortured before his death and his body dismembered with a bone saw by the Saudi hit squad.