"Yesterday, our prosecutor general told them [the Saudi delegation] that since the crime was committed in Istanbul, then it can be investigated here. There are questions that are to be answered. Who ordered to send here these 15 people [Saudi operatives believed by Turkey to be involved in the murder of the journalist]? You, as the Saudi prosecutor general, must find it out. Saudi Foreign Minister [Adel Jubeir] said they had a local accomplice. He must be identified," Erdogan said, addressing the ruling Justice and Development Party’s parliamentary faction.
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He stressed that Ankara had no intention to drop the investigation, warning that "there is no point in covering tracks and trying to save someone who is behind all of this."
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. On October 19, after more than two weeks of denials, Saudi Arabia admitted the journalist had been killed in a brawl inside the consulate. According to Riyadh, 18 people have been arrested over their suspected involvement in the incident.
On Thursday, the Saudi prosecutor general acknowledged that the journalist's murder had been orchestrated in advance. However, Riyadh maintains that the murder had nothing to do with the Saudi Royal family, describing it as a rogue operation.
