(CNN) An audio recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a "true disaster" that "shocked" the Saudi intelligence officer who heard it, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Erdogan told reporters that after the intelligence officer had heard the recording, he said: "I guess they were on heroin; only someone who is on heroin would do such a thing."

The comments, reported by the pro-government Turkish newspaper The Daily Sabah on Tuesday, came after The New York Times reported that people familiar with the audio recording say it contains an instruction to "tell your boss." American intelligence officials believe is a reference to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince.

The report suggests that one of the 15-strong "kill team" allegedly sent to Istanbul to assassinate Khashoggi can be heard on the tape making a phone call in Arabic to say "the deed was done," or words to that effect.

The same person also told the person on the other end of the line to "tell your boss," a reference intelligence officials believe is the strongest evidence yet linking de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi's murder, according to the Times.

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