Turkey Will Reveal ‘Naked Truth’ Over Khashoggi’s Death – Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday vowed to reveal the “naked truth” over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying that he would make a new statement on the case next week.

“We are looking for justice here and this will be revealed in all its naked truth, not through some ordinary steps but in all its naked truth,” Erdogan told a rally in Istanbul.

Saudi authorities conceded Saturday that Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist and a Riyadh critic, was killed inside the kingdom’s Istanbul diplomatic compound.

Their admission came after a fortnight of denials with the insistence that the journalist left the consulate alive.

Turkish officials have claimed they believe that 15 Saudi men who arrived in Istanbul on two flights on October 2 — the day when Khashoggi entered the consulate — were connected to his death.

Riyadh said it fired five top officials and arrested 18 other Saudis as a result of the initial investigation.

“Why did those 15 men come here? Why were 18 people arrested?” Erdogan asked in Istanbul.

He said he would make a full statement on the case when he would address his ruling party MPs in parliament on Tuesday.

The Turkish leader has so far refrained from making strong statements about the death of Khashoggi, often referring to a prosecutors’ investigation into the killing.

Analysts see this as an attempt to avoid provoking a full rupture of relations with Saudi Arabia.