Saudi Gazette report

Istanbul — An official at the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul dismissed on Sunday the report by Reuters which quoted Turkish officials as saying that Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the consulate in Istanbul.

In a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency, the official strongly denounced these baseless allegations.

He expressed his doubt that they came from Turkish officials who are informed of the investigation or are authorized to comment on the issue.

The official also said that a team of Saudi investigators arrived in Istanbul Saturday at the request of the Saudi government and with the permission of Turkish authorities.

The team will assist in the investigation into the disappearance of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi.

The official stressed that the safety and wellbeing of its citizens are of paramount importance to the Kingdom.

He said relevant authorities in the Kingdom are diligently following up on this matter to uncover the truth.

Saudi Arabia’s Consul General in Istanbul Mohammad Al-Otaibi opened up his mission on Saturday to show that Khashoggi, who vanished after coming out of the consulate four days ago, was not on the premises.

Reuters journalists toured the six-storey consulate in northern Istanbul.

“I would like to confirm that...Jamal is not at the consulate nor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the consulate and the embassy are working to search for him,” Al-Otaibi said in an interview at the consulate.

Opening cupboards, filing cabinets and wooden panels covering air conditioning units, Otaibi walked through the six floors of the building including a basement prayer room, offices, visa counters, kitchens and toilets as well as storage and security rooms.

Timeline

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi visits Saudi consulate in Istanbul reportedly for marriage papers.

He comes out of the consulate, but then his whereabouts are unknown.

Saudi Arabia’s Consul General in Istanbul Mohammad Al-Otaibi opened up his mission on Saturday to show that Khashoggi was not on the premises.

A team of Saudi investigators arrives in Istanbul Saturday to assist in the investigation.

The woman named “Khadijah” who is promoting herself as Jamal’s fiancé, is not known by the family and she is not his fiancé: Motasem Khashoggi, who is representing Jamal Khashoggi’s family.

Motasem Khashoggi, who is representing Jamal Khashoggi’s family, said some people are politicizing the issue and are using the family name to push their agenda.