SAUDI journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared almost two weeks ago while on a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
His disappearance has sparked international uproar involving the kingdom, Turkey and the United States that remains unresolved.
Turkish officials say they fear Saudi agents killed and dismembered Khashoggi and claim to have audio and video recordings of the events.
The kingdom says the allegations are “baseless” but has offered no evidence Khashoggi ever left the consulate.
A joint Turkish and Saudi inspection of the consulate is planned for today.
Here is a look at what we know about the disappearance.
Who is Jamal Khashoggi?
Khashoggi is a long-time journalist, foreign correspondent, editor and columnist whose work has been controversial in the ultraconservative Sunni kingdom. He went into self-imposed exile in the United States following the ascension of Prince Mohammed, now next in line to succeed his father, the 82-year-old King Salman.
Khashoggi maintained ties with Saudi elites and was viewed as a link between the west and the royal court. Khashoggi has written extensively about Saudi Arabia for the Washington Post, criticising its war in Yemen, its recent spat with Canada and its arrest of women’s rights activists after the lifting of a ban on women driving.
What happened to him?
Khashoggi went to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on September 28 seeking documents so he could be married to his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz. He was told to return on October 2 to pick up those documents, Cengiz says.
Surveillance footage later aired on Turkish television shows Khashoggi entering the consulate at 1.14pm on October 2. Less than two hours later, several vehicles with diplomatic licence plates are shown moving from the consulate to the consul’s home just over a mile away.
Cengiz, who spent hours waiting for Khashoggi outside while holding his mobile phones, says her fiancee never returned to meet her. No footage made public has shown Khashoggi leaving the consulate.
What is Turkey saying?
Anonymised Turkish officials say they fear Saudi Arabia killed Khashoggi and claim to have recordings of him being killed and dismembered. No such recordings have been released publicly.
Turkish security officials have leaked information through pro-government media, including the names and photographs of
15 Saudi men in the military and security services who are said to have targeted Khasgoggi. Turkish officials believe one of those men was a post-mortem expert.
Turkish media have also released videos showing the alleged agents arriving on private jets the day Khashoggi disappeared and then flying out that night.
What is Saudi Arabia saying?
Saudi Arabia has offered no explanation for how the writer could have left the consulate and disappeared as his fiancee stood outside waiting for him.
Saudi minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud said: “What has been circulating in terms of supposed orders to kill him are outright lies and baseless allegations against the kingdom’s government.”
A Saudi-owned news channel has begun referring to the alleged 15-man team as “tourists”, without providing supporting evidence.
What is the US saying?
President Donald Trump has threatened “severe punishment” if authorities determine Saudi Arabia was behind the disappearance. But he also wants to maintain the arms deals he struck with the kingdom on a trip to Riyadh. Earlier, he tweeted: “Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened ‘to our Saudi Arabian citizen’.” Trump added that the Saudis told him they are working with Turkey to find an answer.
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