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Khashoggi killing not possible without orders from senior positions: AK Party spokesman

Speaking to reporters during a press conference in the capital Ankara on Wednesday, Ömer Çelik -- the spokesman for Turkey's ruling AK Party -- said in his remarks related to slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who murdered by 15-person hit-team at Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, that the killing of the Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, could not have been carried out without orders from someone in a senior position.

Anadolu Agency & Reuters WORLD
Published October 31,2018
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A demonstrator dressed as Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (c) with blood on his hands protests with others outside the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC, demanding justice for murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (AFP)

The killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi could not have been carried out without orders from someone in a senior position, the spokesman for Turkey's ruling AK Party said on Wednesday.

"Turkey does not blame anyone in advance, but won't allow cover up of anything," he added.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Ömer Çelik said Turkey would not let anyone cover up Khashoggi's killing, and added that it was not possible that Saudi officials had still not found the journalist's body.

Khashoggi went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After initially saying Khashoggi had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later he had died there.

"We want to know where the body [of Khashoggi] is, we want that our authorities receive information about who the local collaborators are", Ömer Çelik said in a statement.

Investigation of the incident suggests a special hit squad came to the consulate to kill Kashoggi and cover up the murder. The international community refused to accept the Saudi claim that the incident was not a premeditated murder.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed that all details of the case should be revealed, including who gave the instruction for the "premeditated murder".

U.S. President Donald Trump said he could impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia, but also signaled that he did not want to harm bilateral relations.

Telephoning Erdoğan, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman promised necessary cooperation.

The chief prosecutor's office in Riyadh also announced that the murder was planned.