Turkish officials accuse Saudi Arabia of lack of cooperation in Khashoggi probe

ISTANBUL —Turkish officials on Wednesday accused Saudi Arabia of not cooperating with Turkey’s investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul last week, as video footage and the names of a 15-member Saudi team suspected of ties to the case emerged. 

Turkey has put in a request to enter the consulate, where Khashoggi was last seen Oct. 2 as he stepped through the compound’s front gate to obtain papers for his wedding. However, despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s offer to Bloomberg News for the Turkish government to search the premises, Saudi Arabia is delaying and does not want an investigative team to enter, the Turkish official said. 

Saudi officials in Washington did not immediately response to requests for comment. 

“The Saudis now seem to delay,” one senior Turkish official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. “They say, ‘You can’t make a proper investigation here. You just come here for a cup of tea and we’ll show you around.’ ”

“The Saudis are not cooperative in this investigation,” another Turkish official said. “We don’t have the access we need to the consulate or to the consul’s house.”

[Saudis are said to have lain in wait for Jamal Khashoggi]

Under the Vienna Convention, a host country cannot enter the grounds of a foreign diplomatic mission without permission. Saudi officials strongly deny any involvement in the Khashoggi disappearance and insist he left the consulate unharmed that day. However, they have not presented any evidence to back that claim. They say their numerous video cameras were not recording at the time. 

The official said Turkish authorities have “strong indications” that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate. They also hope to search the Saudi consul general’s residence, 500 yards away. Several vehicles, including a black Mercedes-Benz Vito van, headed from the consulate to the residence two hours after Khashoggi entered the diplomatic facility, according to a video obtained by The Washington Post on Wednesday, which purported to lay out the movements of the 15-man team. 

The footage was compiled and edited by Turkish authorities piecing together a timeline of the events of Oct. 2, the last day Khashoggi was seen, according to a person close to the investigation who provided it. It came as the Turkish newspaper Sabah published the identities of the 15 men. 

Three Turkish officials confirmed that the list was accurate. “We know all the names,” said one, a security official who declined to be named because the information is sensitive. “They are correct.” 

One was a “forensic expert,” the senior Turkish official said. 

[Disappearance, alleged killing of Khashoggi could complicate U.S.-Saudi relations]

Before Khashoggi’s disappearance, U.S. intelligence intercepted communications of Saudi officials discussing a plan to capture him, according to two people familiar with the information. The Saudis wanted to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and lay hands on him there, the people said. It is not clear whether the United States warned Khashoggi that he was a target, the people said.

Khaled Saffuri, a friend of Khashoggi’s in Washington, said the journalist told him as they had lunch early this summer that he had received a call from one of Mohammed’s close advisers asking him to return to Saudi Arabia and guaranteeing his safety. “I said, ‘Would you go?’ He said, ‘I’m not crazy.’ ”

The Turkish official said authorities believe that the 15-member team killed Khashoggi at the consulate. 

The video shows two private jets that Turkish authorities say the men arrived on landing at the airport. One arrives at 3:28 a.m. with nine people on board, the video shows. They then checked into Movenpick Istanbul Hotel, a short drive from the consulate. 

At the Movenpick earlier this week, management would not confirm or deny that the hotel was part of police investigations. But one hotel worker said Turkish authorities had visited several days earlier to look into guests who arrived Oct. 2. 

The video gives insight into the disappearance of one of The Post’s Global Opinions section’s columnists. However, The Post cannot fully verify its authenticity; the video is highly edited and contains some inconsistencies. 

Video time stamps show a black Mercedes Vito leaving the Saudi consulate a minute before it arrives at the consul general’s house. The person who provided the video said authorities are aware of that inconsistency and said one of the camera’s timers was not accurate.

He said the video was prepared by Turkish authorities “for internal purposes.” The covered carports at both the consul general’s house and the consulate shield from the cameras who is entering and exiting the cars. 

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancee, said the figure entering the consulate appears to be Khashoggi, judging by his attire. She waited outside after he went in. 

Cengiz said the figure seen in the video pacing outside while on the phone could be her, but she cannot be sure. It is too distant to be clear, she said. 

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