Erdogan’s Advisor: MBS Has Blood on His Hands

Local Editor

An adviser to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has “blood on his hands” in the murder case of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“It is a disgrace that reaches all the way to Crown Prince [Mohammed bin] Salman. At least five members of the execution team are [Mohammed bin] Salman’s right hands and are people that wouldn’t act without his knowledge,” Ilnur Cevik, an adviser to President Erdogan, wrote in a column in the Yeni Birlik newspaper, according to Reuters.

“Even if US President Trump saves [Mohammed bin] Salman, in the eyes of the world, he is a questionable person with Khashoggi’s blood on his hands,” Cevik wrote.

Saudi officials originally insisted that Khashoggi had left the diplomatic mission after his paperwork was finished, but they finally admitted 17 days later that he had in fact been killed inside the building during "an altercation."

Turkey has reportedly shared “all the evidence” it has gathered in its investigation of Khashoggi’s murder in Istanbul with the visiting CIA chief.

Turkish media reported Wednesday that the US Central Intelligence Agency boss Gina Haspel had been trusted with the evidence during a briefing at the Turkish Intelligence Organization (MIT) a day earlier.

 That included footage, audio tapes, and other evidence collected from the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, where Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2, as well as the consul’s residence.

The reason for Haspel's visit to Turkey was not immediately clear. The media only reported that she was in the country for talks with Turkish officials.

 Also on Wednesday, President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey would not allow those responsible for the killing to avoid justice, echoing his previous remarks on the case.

“We are determined not to allow a cover-up of this murder and to make sure all those responsible -- from those who ordered it to those who carried it out -- will not be allowed to avoid justice,” Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara.

“We will continue to share new evidence transparently with our counterparts to enlighten the dark sides of this murder,” he added.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team