Turkish Adviser: Jamal Khashoggi’s Body Was ‘Dissolved’

An adviser to Turkish President Recep Erdoğan said Friday that Jamal Khashoggi’s body was “dissolved” after the dissident journalist was murdered and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, The Guardian reports. “We now see that it wasn’t just cut up; [the Saudi suspects] got rid of the body by dissolving it,” Yasin Aktay told the newspaper Hurriyet. “According to the latest information we have, the reason they cut up the body is it was easier to dissolve it. They aimed to ensure no sign of the body was left,” Aktay added. “Killing an innocent person is one crime, the treatment and extent of what was done to the body is another crime and dishonor.” The Guardian notes Aktay’s remarks mark the first official Turkish comment on what happened to Khashoggi’s body after his death. While Saudi Arabia denies the more brutal allegations against its royal leaders, the government has admitted that Khashoggi’s slaying was premeditated. Just this week, Istanbul’s chief prosecutor claimed that Khashoggi was strangled almost immediately upon entering the consulate.