15 Saudis identified in disappearance of Washington Post columnist

by Michael Burke - 10/10/18 8:52 AM ET

A pro-government newspaper in Turkey, Sabah, according to media reports, has identified 15 people it says were members of a Saudi Arabian intelligence team involved in the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who went missing last week.

Reuters reported that the Sabah newspaper published the names and years of birth of 15 Saudis it said arrived at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport on Oct. 2, the same day Khashoggi was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

{mosads}A Turkish security source previously told Reuters that 15 Saudi nationals, some of whom were officials, arrived in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and entered the consulate on the same day before leaving the country.

Additionally, Turkish state-run broadcaster TRT has aired video reportedly showing the 15 Saudis arriving by private jet in Turkey and later leaving a hotel, according to The Associated Press.

The AP reported that footage was also aired showing a vehicle with diplomatic license plates arriving at the consulate and parking inside a garage. The vehicle reportedly resembled a van parked outside of the consulate when Khashoggi walked inside.

Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who wrote for The Washington Post, has been critical of Saudi Arabia’s government. He went missing late last week after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials have said they believe the journalist was killed inside the facility, but Saudi officials have denied any wrongdoing.

In the United States, a growing number of lawmakers have spoken out critically about the incident.

“I’ve never been more disturbed than I am right now,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told CNN. “If this did in fact happen, that this man was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, that would cross every line of normality in the international community. If it did happen, there would be hell to pay.”

Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told CNN that he wanted the administration to press for answers from the Saudi government.

“It is my expectation that the Trump administration should make clear and strong statements both privately and publicly to the Saudi kingdom that, if true, these allegations would be profoundly harmful to our relationship,” he said.

Protesters also gathered outside the Saudi embassy in Washington, D.C., demanding to know what happened to Khashoggi, according to a Washington Post reporter who posted video to Twitter.

Protest now on the front steps of the Saudi Embassy in #DC demanding #WhereIsJamal after the disappearance of prominent journalist #JamalKhashoggi, who was last seen on Oct. 2, walking into the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. pic.twitter.com/tm3eImp8Lc

— Marissa J. Lang (@Marissa_Jae) October 10, 2018