Turkish crime-scene investigators searched the home of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul today in the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, hours after a pro-government newspaper published a gruesome account of the journalist's alleged slaying.
The account published in the Yeni Safak newspaper alleged that Saudi officials cut off Khashoggi's fingers and then decapitated him at the consulate as his fiancée waited outside.
The report by the newspaper cited what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's slaying.
It described the recording as offering evidence that a Saudi team immediately accosted the 60-year-old journalist after he entered the consulate.
On it, Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi could be heard on the tape telling those allegedly torturing Khashoggi: "Do this outside; you're going to get me in trouble," the newspaper reported.
One of the Saudis reportedly replied: "Shut up if you want to live when you return to (Saudi) Arabia."
Security services in Turkey have used pro-government media to leak details of Khashoggi's case, adding to the pressure on the kingdom.
Trump weary of Saudi Arabia, wants soaring oil price to come down
President Donald Trump, who initially came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but since has backed off, said today that the US wanted Turkey to turn over any audio or video recording it had of Khashoggi's alleged killing "if it exists."
Saudi officials have not responded to repeated requests for comment from the AP in recent days.
Al-Otaibi left Turkey yesterday, Turkish state media reported.
Trump's previous warnings over the case drew an angry response Sunday from Saudi Arabia and its state-linked media, including a suggestion that Riyadh could wield its oil production as a weapon.
The US president wants King Salman and OPEC to boost production to drive down high oil prices, caused in part by the coming re-imposition of oil sanctions on Iran in November.
Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo, wrapping up a trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey to discuss the crisis over the missing journalist, made a point to stress areas where the kingdom and America cooperate.
"We have lots of important relationships - financial relationships between U.S. and Saudi companies, governmental relationships, ... the efforts to reduce the risk to the United States of America from the world's largest state sponsor of terror, Iran," he said.
"We just need to make sure that we are mindful of that when we approach decisions that the United States government will take when we learn all the facts associated with whatever may have taken place."
Pompeo - Clear lines America would not stand to see crossed
However, Pompeo said there were clear lines that America would not stand to see crossed.
"If a country engages in activity that is unlawful it's unacceptable," he said.
"No one is going to defend activity of that nature. We just need to simply say what happened."
Prominent US newspapers have reported, citing anonymous sources, that Saudi officials may soon acknowledge Khashoggi's slaying at the consulate but blame it on a botched intelligence operation.
That could, like Trump's softening comments, seek to give the kingdom a way out of the global firestorm of criticism over Khashoggi's fate.
However, no major decisions in Saudi Arabia are made outside of the ultraconservative kingdom's ruling Al Saud family.
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