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POST TIME: 25 October, 2018 00:00 00 AM
Khashoggi murder
Turkey shares ‘evidence’ with CIA chief
Journo murder unthinkable ‘without US backing’: Iran
AFP

Turkey shares ‘evidence’ with CIA chief

Jamal Khashoggi

Turkish intelligence has shared "all the evidence" over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi with the CIA chief during a visit, pro-government media reported yesterday, reports AFP from Istanbul.

Meanwhile, the US and UK has decided to revoke visas of Saudis involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The United States said Tuesday it was revoking visas of Saudis involved in the murder as President Donald Trump ridiculed the kingdom's response as "one of the worst cover-ups" in history.

While UK PM Theresa May told a session of parliament that "The Home Secretary is taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK. If these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today."

Britain's actions follow a similar move made on Tuesday by the United States.

However, CIA Director Gina Haspel visited the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday for talks with officials about the killing of Washington Post contributor Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate.

Video images and audio tapes as well as evidence gathered from the consulate and the consul's residence were shared with Haspel during the briefing at the Turkish Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Sabah newspaper reported.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stopped short of pointing the blame at the Saudi leadership for the death of the Saudi insider-turned-critic.

But he said in a keynote speech on Tuesday that the murder was meticulously planned, demanding that all those involved brought to justice.

Khashoggi, 59, vanished on October 2 after entering the Saudi mission to obtain documents for his wedding.

Speaking at a ceremony in Ankara, Erdogan on Wednesday vowed that Turkey would not allow the culprits to get away with their "savage murder".

"We are determined not to allow any cover up of this murder and for all those responsible from those who gave the command to those who executed it -- not to escape justice," he said.

"We are not implicating anyone," he added, saying that Ankara would be transparent as it gathers more evidence that shed light on the "dark sides" of the murder.

"It is not over yet," he said. "We are unravelling, dismantling (the case) and the world is closely following." The whereabouts of Khashoggi's corpse still remain unknown.

Erdogan said on Tuesday that a 15-person team came from Riyadh to kill Khashoggi, including by carrying out reconnaissance outside Istanbul and deactivating security cameras at the consulate.

Turkish police searched the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, and the consul general's residence as well as hunting for evidence in an Istanbul forest.

On Tuesday, the police searched an abandoned car belonging to the Saudi consulate in an underground car park in the Sultangazi district of Istanbul.