Jamal Khashoggi’s murder was planned: Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 23 said that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder was “planned”, The Washington Post reported. Erdogan was speaking at the weekly gathering of his party members in the Parliament chamber in Ankara.

“It is clear that this savage murder did not happen at the drop of a dime but was a planned affair,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by The New York Times. In addition, Erdogan also raised a series of questions. “Why was the 15-man Saudi team in Istanbul on the day of the murder? On whose orders? We are seeking answers. Why was the consulate not opened to investigators immediately? When the murder was so clear, why were there so many different statements given by Saudis? Why has the body of someone, the killing of whom has been officially admitted, not been found? Who is the local collaborator who disposed of Khashoggi’s body? Saudi must answer all these questions,” the Turkey president was quoted as saying.

Erdogan’s remarks are in contradiction of the official Saudi account that states “Khashoggi died accidentally in a fistfight in the consulate”.

The Post also stated that Erdogan has now called on Saudi Arabia to “extradite 18 suspects to Turkey to face justice for the crime’.