Dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is heard repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe’’ in the horrific final moments before his death on Oct. 2 in Turkey, according to a report Monday.

Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, did not die as a result of a confrontation gone bad as Saudi Arabian officials have claimed. But he was instead the victim of a planned execution, CNN reported, citing a source who read a translated transcript of an audio recording.

The CNN source describes Khashoggi as struggling against his assailants inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and fighting for air as he says “I can’t breathe’’ three times in a row.

USA TODAY could not independently confirm the CNN report.

Khashoggi appears to still be alive when screams, gasps and the sound of a saw are heard on the audiotape, the source told CNN. Turkish officials, who had the original copy of the recording, have said Khashoggi’s body was dismembered with a bone saw.

In the recording, Salah Muhammad al-Tubaiqi, head of forensic medicine at Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry, is heard sharing advice with the perpetrators in performing the gruesome task.

“Put your earphones in, or listen to music like me.’’

The CNN source also said the transcript indicates phone calls were made, presumably updating high-level figures in the Saudi government on the proceedings.

More:Jared Kushner advised Saudi prince on how to 'weather' Khashoggi slaying, report says

Related:Saudi crown prince ‘complicit’ in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, key GOP senator says after CIA briefing

The account from the transcript stands in contrast to the evolving explanations put forth by Saudi leaders, who initially denied Khashoggi had been harmed, then maintained he had died when a fistfight broke out at the consulate and later said he was the victim of a rogue operation, with no involvement from the kingdom.

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and frequent critic of the Saudi royal family, had gone into the consulate to pick up documents he needed to wed his Turkish fiancée. Video footage shows him entering the consulate but not leaving. Instead, a body double wearing his clothes is seen on video departing later.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is widely suspected of ordering the assassination, and a CIA assessment determined the heir to the Saudi throne was in frequent communication with a close adviser believed to have overseen the operation on the day Khashoggi was killed.

After receiving a classified briefing on the case, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said it was obvious the crown prince was behind the killing, saying, “There’s no smoking gun, there’s a smoking saw.’’

The murder sparked an international outcry, but President Donald Trump has steadfastly stood behind the Saudis and declined to hold them accountable, pointing to their role as a U.S. ally and their purchases of American weapons.

However, the Republican-led Senate has rebuked Trump, voting 63-37 to pursue legislation calling for the U.S. to end military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

On Saturday, the New York Times reported that Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a presidential adviser on the Middle East, has counseled the prince on how to handle the fallout from Khashoggi’s murder.