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Saudi journalist was tortured before being decapitated: Report

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Saudi officer listened to music during killing in Istanbul consulate, Turkish sources claim

ANKARA: Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured before being decapitated inside Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul, pro-government Turkish daily Yeni Safak reported yesterday, saying it had heard audio recordings of the incident.

Mr Khashoggi's alleged killers tortured him during interrogation by cutting his fingers off, Yeni Safak said, claiming it had heard multiple recordings. The newspaper said Mr Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was then decapitated.

He vanished after entering the consulate to get official documents so that he could marry his Turkish fiancee. While Turkish police believe he was killed by a team of 15 Saudi officials who had flown in, Riyadh dismissed such claims as "baseless".

One of the members of the Saudi team is reported to be Salah Muhammed Al-Tubaigy, a lieutenant-colonel in the Saudi forensic department.

The Washington Post has previously cited unnamed US and Turkish officials pointing to audio and video recordings that supposedly prove Mr Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate and was then dismembered.

But this is the first time Turkish media have claimed to have heard the recording.

Another pro-government newspaper, Sabah, had reported at the weekend that Mr Khashoggi's Apple Watch recorded his interrogation, torture and killing, although some experts have said it is not likely that the watch could have done this at that location.

According to Yeni Safak, Saudi Arabia's consul to Istanbul, Mohammed al-Otaibi, can be heard on one tape saying during Mr 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 Mr 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.

The Middle East Eye website quoted a Turkish source as saying that there was "no attempt to interrogate" Mr Khashoggi but the Saudi team had "come to kill him".

The source said that his death took seven minutes, with LTC Tubaigy beginning to cut up the body "while Mr Khashoggi was still alive".

LTC Tubaigy reportedly listened to music during the killing.

Consul Otaibi left Istanbul on Tuesday for Riyadh ahead of a planned search of his residence as part of the official Turkish investigation.

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

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday arrived in Ankara from Riyadh for talks with the Turkish leadership, saying Saudi Arabia had promised a full investigation into the case.

In a related development, US President Donald Trump gave Saudi Arabia the benefit of the doubt in the case even as US lawmakers pointed the finger at the Saudi leadership and Western pressure mounted on Riyadh to provide answers.

"I think we have to find out what happened first," Mr Trump said on Tuesday. "Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent. I don't like that."

Mr Trump said earlier on Twitter that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied knowing what happened in the Saudi consulate.

"Just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate," Mr Trump wrote.

He also wrote that the crown prince "told me that he has already started, and will rapidly expand, a full and complete investigation into this matter. Answers will be forthcoming shortly". - AFP, REUTERS

FOR MORE: Saudi Prince stumbles over Khashoggi disappearance

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