Reuters / Handout
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has delivered a statement giving his country's official account of the “pre-meditated” murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi, describing it as a “political killing.” The president offered condolences to Khashoggi's family before confirming many of the details which had been leaked to the Turkish media in recent days. He said two Saudi teams were involved in the murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, one of which scouted a forest in Istanbul one day before the killing. He said Khashoggi was the “victim of a very cruel murder” and now those responsible should be face the force of the law in Turkey. He demanded to know why there were so many different official statements given by the Saudis, and who disposed of the body. Although he didn't implicate the Saudi royal family directly, he cast doubt on their version of events. “I do not doubt the sincerity of King Salman,” said Erdogan. “That being said, independent investigation needs to be carried out. This is a political killing.”