Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said everyone involved in Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death, from the person who ordered it to those who carried it out, should face justice. | Getty Images foreign policy Turkish president claims Saudis planned for days to kill Khashoggi

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday declared that plans for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi were hatched days before he disappeared inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, disputing the Saudi government's claim that Khashoggi was accidentally killed during an argument.

Erdogan, in remarks reported by The Associated Press, called on Saudi Arabia to divulge details on who ordered Khashoggi's “savage murder” and demanded the 18 Saudi agents suspected of executing that order be tried in Turkish courts.


“All evidence gathered shows that Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of a savage murder. To cover up such a savagery would hurt the human conscience,” Erdogan said.

“Where is the body of Jamal Khashoggi?” the Turkish president asked as he addressed lawmakers in Parliament on Tuesday, apparently unsatisfied with the Saudi’s latest explanation, that Khashoggi was accidentally killed during an argument that spiraled into a “fistfight.” Erdogan said everyone involved in Khashoggi's death, from the person who ordered it to those who carried it out, should face justice.

“To blame such an incident on a handful of security and intelligence members would not satisfy us or the international community,” he said. “Saudi Arabia has taken an important step by admitting the murder. As of now we expect of them to openly bring to light those responsible — from the highest ranked to the lowest — and to bring them to justice."

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The Saudis made an abrupt about-face late last week in their explanation of Khashoggi's death, conceding that the journalist had been killed inside their Istanbul consulate during an interrogation gone wrong. The Saudi government had initially insisted it did not know where Khashoggi was and that he had left the consulate through a back entrance.

Saudi leaders, including King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have denied ordering Khashoggi's murder and have claimed they were not aware of it until days later.

Erdogan rejected the Saudi account, and said officials from the Arab kingdom hatched a plan to murder the dissident journalist in late September, days before Khashoggi vanished on Oct. 2 inside the consulate. Erdogan also accused the Saudi government of attempting to use a body double as a decoy to cover up Khashoggi's death.

Citing recordings from inside the consulate that have yet to be released to the public, Turkish media and officials have reported that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the consulate by a 15-man Saudi hit squad.

Erdogan did not mention the crown prince during the speech, although the heir apparent has been highly suspected of authorizing the killing. The Saudi government has said it has arrested those responsible for the murder, a claim met with skepticism by critics of the Saudi royal family, who have argued an operation like Khashoggi's killing could not have been carried out without the crown prince's approval.

Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday called Khashoggi's murder "brutal" and "an assault on a free and independent press," but also said the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia is a vital one.

"Our administration is determined to use all means at our disposal to get at the bottom of it," he said at a Washington Post conference, pointing to the White House's response to send Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and CIA Director Gina Haspel to the Middle East.

"The world is watching, and the American people want answers,” he said. “And we'll demand those answers are forthcoming.”

When asked whether he’d support sanctions, Pence sidestepped strong language and said the administration would respond in the context of America's vital interests in the region. Saudi Arabia is an "important alliance in the region and particularly under President Trump’s leadership, we've forged renewed ties with Saudi Arabia and their counties in the Middle East to confront the leading state sponsor of terrorism in Iran."

He concluded to say the death of an "innocent man" would not go without an American and international response.

President Donald Trump on Monday said he was "not satisfied" with findings from the investigations and told The Washington Post on Saturday that “obviously there’s been deception, and there’s been lies,” but continued to label the kingdom as an "incredible ally."

The president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, on the other hand, remained mum on the Saudis' investigation and said the administration is "more in the fact-finding phase," in remarks to liberal pundit-activist Van Jones at a CNN forum on Monday.

And when asked the advice he had given the crown prince, Kushner said, "The world is watching. This is a very, very serious accusation. A very serious situation.” He added that he had urged Salman to “be sure you’re transparent and to take this very seriously.”

But on the Hill, lawmakers have not shown the same public deference to the kingdom. Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) are among the growing number of bipartisan lawmakers escalating pressure on the Saudi kingdom to come forth with an accurate account of what happened.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Tuesday the country is committed to ensuring “that the investigation is thorough and complete and that the truth is revealed and that those responsible will be held to account.”

Erdogan is expected to announce additional details on Tuesday of his country’s investigation into the 59-year-old journalist's death.