ANKARA — A new report from the Turkish police states that Jamal Khashoggi's remains may have been burned up in the consulate.
Washington Post journalist and Saudi dissident, Jamal Khashoggi, was killed by a Saudi hit squad on October 2. He had arrived at the country's consulate in Istanbul to retrieve documents he needed in order to marry his Turkish fiance, Hatice Cengiz.
Khashoggi was last seen in CCTV footage as he entered the consulate at about 13:14 local time. He left both his phones with his fiancee instructing her to call for help if he didn't return.
Upon entering he encountered Saudi intelligence officer Maher Mutreb, who told the journalist, 'You are coming back,' according to a CNN source who read the transcript of an audio recording of Khashoggi's death.
This is when the hit squad is thought to have seized Khashoggi and suffocated him by putting a plastic bag over his head. Khashoggi's final words were, 'I can't breathe.' The transcript then goes on to describe the sound of a saw assumed to be used for his dismemberment. Khashoggi's last gasps and screams can be heard at the same time.
During this time Khashoggi's fiancee was still waiting outside the consulate. She stayed until 1:00 am and came back the following day after he still hadn't returned.
Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu quoted a recent police report that states that Khashoggi's remains may have been burned in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The report states that the consulate has two wells and a gas and wood furnace that could reach over 1,000 degrees Celsius. This furnace could have been used to destroy traces of Khashoggi's DNA.
Police also revealed that the hit squad had ordered 32 pieces of raw meat from a restaurant to the consulate after killing Khashoggi.
The report also suggests that Khashoggi's fiancee could have been the second victim of the killing if the hit squad had been informed that she was waiting outside.
Turkish authorities know that one of the members of the hit squad is Lieutenant Colonel Salah Mohammed A. Tubaigy, a forensic expert from the Saudi Interior Ministry.
Tubaigy has taught in the criminal evidence department at Naif Arab University for Security Sciences in Riyadh. They believe the 47-year-old expert helped dispose of Khashoggi's body.
