Saudis scout in forest before Khashoggi murder: Footage

By Halil Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - Footages have revealed that Saudi team scouted in Istanbul's Belgrad Forest before the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to security sources on Wednesday.

As part of the probe launched by the Chief Public Prosecutors' Office in Istanbul, a special security team went through 2,000-hour-long footages from a total of 137 surveillance cameras at 62 points.

The team found that on Oct.1, the Saudi team scouted at the forest with a diplomatic vehicle that belonged to the consulate, while another photograph showed Khashoggi's arrival to Ataturk Airport on the same day.

The comprehensive investigation on surveillance cameras around the Saudi Consulate and in several areas of Istanbul -- including Levent and Sultanahmet -- reveals clues for the killing of Khashoggi step by step.

The footages show activities of the 15 Saudis -- who arrived in Istanbul on two planes to kill Khashoggi and visited the consulate while he was still inside on Oct. 2 -- and the consulate officials.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia last week claimed Khashoggi died during a fight inside the consulate.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz sacked the deputy of the intelligence service and a top aide and ordered the arrest of 18 suspects over the case.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday laid out his country’s initial findings in its investigation, saying Khashoggi's murder was "premeditated".