Dismembered, killed

Pro-government Turkish daily published gruesome new allegations that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed by being gradually dismembered by a Saudi assassination squad, some of whom the New York Times said were tied to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi's alleged killers tortured the journalist during interrogation by cutting his fingers off, Yeni Safak reported yesterday, claiming it had heard multiple recordings.

The newspaper said Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, was then decapitated.

Khashoggi vanished after entering the consulate for official documents ahead of his upcoming wedding to his Turkish fiancee. While Turkish police believe he was killed by a special team of 15 Saudi officials, Riyadh has dismissed such claims as "baseless".

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo yesterday refused to blame key US ally Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of Khashoggi after talks with the Saudi leadership.

"They made a commitment that they would show the entire world the results of their investigation," said Pompeo, adding Saudi also vowed that no-one would have immunity.

One of the members of the Saudi squad has been 

reported to be Salah Muhammed Al-Tubaigy, a lieutenant-colonel in the Saudi forensic department.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that a suspect identified by Turkey was a frequent companion of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Three other suspects are linked to his security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic doctor, the Times said.

It is unclear whether the crown prince authorised an interrogation, abduction or killing.

Several officials CNN spoke with said the mission could not have happened without the direct knowledge of the 33-year-old crown prince, the kingdom's de facto ruler, who is known by his initials "MBS."

AUDIO RECORDINGS

The Washington Post has previously cited unnamed US and Turkish officials pointing to audio and video recordings that supposedly prove Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate and was then dismembered.

But this is the first time Turkish media have claimed to hear the tapes.

According to Yeni Safak, Saudi Arabia's consul to Istanbul, Mohammed al-Otaibi, can be heard on one tape saying during Khashoggi's torture: "Do this outside. You are going to get me in trouble."

The daily reported that in another tape, an unknown individual tells Otaibi: "If you want to live when you come to Saudi Arabia, be quiet!"

Yeni Safak did not say how the tapes came into existence or how it obtained them.

But the Middle East Eye website quoted a Turkish source saying that there was "no attempt to interrogate" Khashoggi but the Saudi team had "come to kill him".

The source told the English-language site that his death took seven minutes with Tubaigy beginning to cut the body "while Khashoggi was still alive".

Tubaigy then reportedly listened to music during the killing.

US STAYS CAUTIOUS

After talks with the Saudi leadership in Riyadh marked by expressions of mutual goodwill, Pompeo in Ankara met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose government also remains wary of giving public details about Khashoggi's fate.

The top US diplomat said that in Saudi Arabia he stressed the "importance of them conducting a complete investigation into the disappearance" and Riyadh had vowed to do this.

He refused to be drawn on whether Khashoggi was alive or dead and who could be responsible. "I don't want to talk about any of the facts. They didn't want to either."

Pompeo held 40 minutes of talks at the airport with Erdogan, whose government has echoed the American reticence to disclose details or make accusations.

Interviewed by state-run Anadolu news agency, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu refused to be drawn into commenting on what may have happened inside the consulate.

Trump also refused to accuse Saudi Arabia, drawing a parallel with the case of new US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh who had faced a swirl of allegations of sexual assault.

"Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent," he said. "I don't like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I'm concerned," he told the Associated Press.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde was the latest to pull out of Prince Mohammed's much-trumpeted investment conference next week. An IMF spokesman said she had postponed her planned trip to the Middle East with a stop in Saudi Arabia.