Arab media covers Turkey's Khashoggi statement

By Aydogan Kalabalik

CAIRO

Arab media highlighted Turkey's statement about the violent death on Oct. 2 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

"Victim Jamal Khashoggi was strangled to death -- with premeditation -- soon after he entered the Istanbul Consulate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Oct. 2, 2018 for wedding procedures," the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office said in a statement Wednesday. "His body was disposed of after being dismembered following his death by suffocation -- again, in line with plans."

Saudi Attorney General Saud al-Mujeb, along with a delegation, traveled to Turkey on Oct. 28 and visited the prosecutor's office on Oct. 29.

The Arab press highlighted Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Irfan Fidan's investigation of the murder.

Saudi Arabia

Commenting on al-Mujeb’s visit to Turkey, Saudi daily Okaz ran the headline, “Attorney general concludes 72-hour visit by meeting with [Turkish] intelligence and inviting Turkish counterpart [to visit Saudi Arabia].”

Notably, the newspaper used the term “death” of Khashoggi instead of “killing” or “murder.”

“The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s office announced that the incident was previously planned, and this is what al-Mujeb announced seven days ago, that the [Saudi] Public Prosecutor’s Office received information from the Turkish side pointing out that the suspects carried out their acts with premeditation,” it wrote.

Egypt

State-run newspapers including Al-Ahram, Al-Khbar, and Al-Gomhuria did not run any stories about the Turkish statement on Khashoggi’s murder.

But dailies Al-Shorouk and Al-Masry Al-Youm highlighted the Turkish prosecutors’ statement on their front pages.

Al-Shorouk said in its headline “Turkish chief prosecutor: Khashoggi was strangled to death.”

“Khashoggi was killed according to a plan previously prepared and his body was dismembered and discarded,” the newspaper said, citing the Turkish statement.

Al-Masry Al-Youm cited Anadolu Agency coverage of the Turkish prosecutor saying: “We have been informed that the fate of the body can be revealed in the result of interrogations to be conducted jointly in Saudi Arabia, as well as to determine whether the killing of Jamal Khashoggi was planned or not."

It said the Saudi attorney general told the Turkish public prosecutor “there has been no statement from the Saudi side on the presence of a local collaborator in the incident.”

Qatar

Al-Jazeera reported on its website that “officials from Turkish intelligence service let Saudi Attorney General al-Mujeb listen to sound recordings of the killing of Khashoggi.”

Iran

Iranian official and semiofficial news agencies -- including IRNA, FHA, Mehr and Tasnim -- reported the Turkish public prosecutor’s statement as breaking news.

State TV also highlighted the statement in news bulletins and breaking news tickers.

The Tasnim News Agency cited the Turkish public prosecutor saying: “The Saudi attorney general didn’t answer our questions. Khashoggi was strangled to death and his body dismembered.”