The video and audio recording reportedly show that the Saudi Consulate's security team detained Jamal Khashoggi after he entered the building on October 2 to obtain some documents for his upcoming wedding, and then killed him and dismembered his body.
According to US and Turkish officials cited by The Washington Post, the audio recordings, in particular, provide "persuasive and gruesome" evidence that Saudi security is responsible for the journalist's death.
“The voice recording from inside the embassy lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered,” said one source with knowledge of the recording.
“You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic,” the source added. “You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and then murdered.”
The other person quoted by The Washington Post says the recording proves Khashoggi was beaten by the Saudis.
The existence of these recordings explain why Turkish officials were so fast to accuse the Saudis of killing the journalist, the newspaper reads. However, Ankara is reluctant to release these recordings as it would reveal the ways in which Turkish intelligence spies upon foreign nations on its soil, the source said.
Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, known for his criticism of Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohhamad, has been missing since October 2 after allegedly visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to acquire documentation for his upcoming marriage. The Saudis have denied allegations that the journalist was captured or murdered and have insisted he left the building later the same day.
In the meantime, media companies are pulling out of a Saudi investment conference over the growing outrage of Khashoggi's disappearance, Reuters reported Thursday. Journalists and executives from various major media companies, including The New York Times, CNBC, Economist and Viacom have already announced their decision not to attend the event. The Financial Times has also reportedly announced that it is reviewing its involvement as a media partner.