The day of Mr. Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 Saudi officials flew into Istanbul on two private jets chartered by a company with close ties to the crown prince and the Saudi Interior Ministry, the Turks say. They say the Saudis went to the consulate, killed Mr. Khashoggi and disposed of his body, then returned to the airport the same day and left Turkey.
One of the Saudis, an autopsy specialist, entered the country with a bone saw, according to Turkish officials.
Saudi officials allowed a team of Turkish investigators to search the consulate for the first time on Monday, and the Turks spent hours inside, leaving early Tuesday morning. They were expected to enter the consulate again on Tuesday, as well as the consul’s residence nearby, which the Turkish news media suggested may also have been involved in the plot.
Amid mounting international outrage over the disappearance, the United Nations human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said on Tuesday that the Saudi authorities should reveal all they know.
Given the gravity of the case, Saudi Arabia should set aside international conventions granting immunity to diplomats and diplomatic premises, Ms. Bachelet said, urging Turkey and Saudi Arabia to ensure “no further obstacles” were put in the way of an effective and transparent investigation.
“It seems very probable some crime has been committed,” Rupert Colville, a spokesman for Ms. Bachelet, told reporters in Geneva.
The Washington Post’s publisher and chief executive, Fred Ryan, also spoke out while Mr. Pompeo was visiting with the Saudis, exhorting the Trump administration to pressure the kingdom’s officials for an honest and complete disclosure.
“The Saudi government can no longer remain silent, and it is essential that our own government and others push harder for the truth,” Mr. Ryan said on Twitter. “Until we have a full account and full accountability, it cannot be business as usual with the Saudi Government.”
Source : Nytimes
