CNN publishes footage of man wearing clothes of journalist, who was killed at consulate earlier this month

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Newly leaked CCTV footage has emerged that appears to show a Saudi agent leaving the country’s consulate in Istanbul wearing the clothes of the murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

CNN aired the footage on Monday, citing a Turkish official who identified the man as Mustafa al-Madani, a “body double” and member of a 15-man Saudi team sent to Istanbul to target Khashoggi.

The agent, wearing glasses and a fake beard in an apparent attempt to further resemble the journalist, is seen touring a number of landmarks in the Turkish city after leaving the consulate.

The apparent Saudi aim was for footage of the man to be picked up by CCTV and distributed, thereby bolstering its claims made in the days after Khashoggi’s disappearance on 2 October that he had left the consulate unscathed.

Late on Friday, after weeks of denials, the Saudis admitted for the first time that Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had been killed after entering the consulate to organise paperwork for his marriage. His fiancee had been waiting for him at the front of the building.

Erdoğan to reveal 'naked truth' about Khashoggi's death Read more

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has said details of the Washington Post journalist’s killing “will be revealed in all its nakedness” in parliament on Tuesday, the same day a glitzy investment forum in Riyadh spearheaded by the crown prince is to take place.

Reports on Monday suggested Saud al-Qahtani, an influential adviser to the crown prince, participated in a Skype call to the room in the consulate where Khashoggi was held.

A Turkish intelligence source told Reuters that at one point Qahtani told his men to dispose of Khashoggi, saying: “Bring me the head of the dog.”

If true, the allegations would confirm reporting in the Guardian on Sunday that Turkey had intercepted the hit squad’s communications. It is understood that Erdoğan has not shared the recording with the US.

The spokesman for Turkey’s ruling AK party on Monday said it was Turkey’s responsibility to uncover the truth, telling reporters it was a “complicated” murder that had been “monstrously planned”.

Saudi Arabia has never produced any CCTV footage of the body double to support its initial claim Khashoggi had left the consulate alive, and either Saudi officials realised the story would not be credible or had been hoping Turkish officials to be tricked by the ruse.

The footage was handed to the CNN news channel by Turkish authorities.

The CCTV leak of the apparent use of a body double is significant because it appears to bolster Turkish claims that the Saudis always intended either to kill Khashoggi or move him back to Saudi Arabia.

The footage appears to show the Saudi agent entering the consulate without a beard and wearing a blue and white checked shirt and dark blue trousers. Footage from later in the day appears to show him leaving the consulate dressed as Khashoggi, but wearing the same pair of trainers that he had arrived in.

The man walks out of the consulate via its back exit with an accomplice, then takes a taxi to Istanbul’s famed Blue Mosque, where he goes to a public bathroom, changes back out of the clothes and leaves. He later eats dinner with his accomplice and goes back to a hotel, where footage shows him smiling and laughing.

Timeline Jamal Khashoggi's death: a Saudi version of events Show Hide

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tells Bloomberg he understands Khashoggi left the consulate after “a few minutes or one hour”. Turkish authorities are welcome to search the diplomatic mission because “we have nothing to hide”, he says. The Saudi consulate in Istanbul tweets that is following up on reports of Khashoggi’s disappearance “after he left the building”. Saudi ambassador Walid bin Abdul Karim El Khereiji denies any knowledge of Khashoggi’s whereabouts, Turkish media says. Riyadh sends investigators to cooperate with Turkey. Consul general Mohammed al-Otaibi tells Reuters all talk of kidnapping is baseless. Otaibi gives Reuters a tour of the consulate. Around midnight, Turkish officials say Khashoggi was killed there. A Saudi statement describes the Turkish allegations as baseless. US ambassador Prince Khaled bin Salman tells Axios the kingdom had nothing to do with the case. Prince Khalid describes allegations against the kingdom as “malicious leaks and grim rumours”. Turkey and Saudi Arabia form a joint working group. Saudi Arabia’s interior minister describes claims in the media that there were “orders to kill [Khashoggi]” as “lies and baseless allegations”. Later, Turkish officials leak details and say he was dismembered with a bone saw. Donald Trump tweets that he had spoken with King Salman, who “denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened”. Saudi-owned al Arabiya TV says 15 men identified by Turkish media on 10 October as part of a hit squad were misidentified “tourists”. Turkish investigators are allowed to search the consulate building. Trump speaks with Mohammed bin Salman, then tweets that the crown prince “totally denied” any knowledge of what happened and Riyadh was launching a thorough investigation. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, says Saudi Arabia has made a “serious commitment” to hold anyone responsible accountable. Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor says investigations show a fistfight led to Khashoggi’s death. Eighteen people have been arrested and two officials close to bin Salman fired. A Saudi official tells Reuters 15 officials travelled to Istanbul to meet Khashoggi, who had expressed interest in returning home. They threatened to kidnap him; Khashoggi resisted, and was accidentally choked to death during attempts to stop him shouting. An official dressed in Khashoggi’s clothes to make it appear as if he had left the consulate. The body was given to a “local collaborator” who disposed of it. The team then lied to Riyadh to cover up the fact Khashoggi had died.

The revelation came as Turkish crime-scene investigators examined a car park in Istanbul’s Sultangazi neighbourhood, where authorities have found a vehicle belonging to the Saudi consulate. Other consulate vehicles were searched last week, along with the consulate building and the consul general’s residence.

Surveillance video aired by the Turkish state broadcaster TRT showed what Turkish security officials described as suspicious movement in the carpark, including an image of a man moving a bag from one vehicle to another.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Police officers block the road after a vehicle belonging to Saudi consulate in Istanbul was found at a car park area in the Sultangazi district. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Meanwhile a pro-Turkish government newspaper published claims that there had been four telephone calls between the Saudi consulate and the office of the crown prince in Riyadh on the day of Khashoggi’s death. The Turkish newspaper claim is not substantiated, but previous leaks to Turkish press by Turkish government sources have proved accurate.

The phone call claim takes responsibility for Khashoggi’s murder closer to the office of the crown prince, though the content of the calls are not known. Riyadh’s explanation for Khashoggi’s death on Friday – that he was killed in a “fistfight” and that 18 Saudis have been detained – has been met with widespread scepticism and allegations of a cover-up designed to absolve the crown prince of direct responsibility.

Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who struck up a friendship with Prince Mohammed, said he told him to be transparent over Khashoggi’s murder. “Right now we are more in the fact finding phase,” Kushner told a conference organised by CNN. Asked what advice he gave to the crown prince, he said: “To be fully transparent. The world is watching … To take this very seriously.” Asked about the crown prince’s response, Kushner said: “We’ll see.”

Play Video 1:00 Jamal Khashoggi: CCTV shows alleged Saudi hit squad's movements – video

Turkish police were continuing a search of the Belgrad forest north of Istanbul on Monday, after investigators last week expanded their search to the forest and farmland in Yavlova province, a 90-minute drive south, on the other side of the Marmara Sea.

Two security cameras monitored the entrance to the vast 5,500 hectare wilderness. A woman who lives in a cottage down the road from the entrance said she had recently noticed more traffic than usual at night.

Surveillance footage pulled from 150 cameras all over the city led police to conclude that on the night of Khashoggi’s death one vehicle owned by the Saudi consulate travelled to the forest, and the other to Yavlova.