Turkish Broadsheet Publishes Chilling Audio Evidence

by Stephen Lendman

Turkey continues to drip-feed damning information about Khashoggi's murder by the Saudis.

Audio, forensic, and perhaps other evidence it collected led the CIA to blame Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) for what happened - Langley likely having its own damning evidence about the incident.

According to an unnamed State Department official familiar with the CIA's conclusions, it's "blindingly obvious" that MBS ordered Khashoggi's murder, adding:

"There's overwhelming consensus that the leadership is involved. No one is debating it within the government." So far, Trump regime hardliners continue going all-out to shift blame from MBS to lower-level Saudi convenient patsies.

How much longer the obvious hard truth can be avoided remains to be seen. CIA chief Gina Haspel briefed Trump over the weekend on the agency's asessment.

DLT likely has its report by now. On Saturday, he said it would be released "on Monday or Tuesday." Calling its findings premature, he's unwilling to admit MBS' guilt so far. Clearly, he alone ordered Khashoggi's elimination.

Turkish broadsheet Haberturk reported that four Saudis met Khashoggi after entering the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, releasing his chilling comments before being murdered on October 2.

When one of the four grabbed his arm menacingly, he said "(r)elease my arm! What do you think you are doing?"

Allegedly then taken to the consulate's B unit, three other Saudis joined the first one, including high-level kingdom intelligence officer/senior MBS aide Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb - believed to be the 15-member hit squad leader, dispatched by the crown prince to kill Khashoggi and disappear his remains.

A voice, likely Mutreb's, is heard saying: "Traitor! You will be brought to account." For another seven minutes, voices of seven Saudis and Khashoggi were heard quarreling and fighting. 

The voice believed to be Mutreb was heard calling Riyadh 19 times from the consulate's C unit, housing offices - the first one made 13 minutes after Khashoggi entered the facility.

There was over an hour of silence on the tape. Turkish officials believe the Saudi hit team used frequency jammers.

Several Saudis were heard descending stairs quickly. One locked the A unit's door. Another deleted security camera footage before removing the hard discs.

A voice broke the silence, believed to be Mustafa al-Modaini saying: "It is spooky to wear the clothes of a man whom we killed 20 minutes ago."

He was preparing to impersonate Khashoggi leaving the consulate after his murder - wearing sneakers, not Khashoggi's shoes,  because his feet were too large for them.

In late October, Turkish broadsheet Hurriyet columnist Abdulkadir Selvi explained that sneakers worn by Khashoggi's impersonator gave the scheme away.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the consulate wasn't bugged, adding "(w)e cannot reveal the source of the audio recordings."

Near daily revelations about Khashoggi's murder keep world attention on the incident. 

With damning evidence indicating MBS's responsibility for what happened, it's unclear if he can hold on and remain crown prince.