Saudit Critic Disappears-- and Is Possibly Murdered-- on Turkish Soil

There are hot rumors that Saudi critic and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been kidnapped or possibly murdered by Saudi Arabian hitmen after entering the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now challenged Saudi Arabia to provide proof that Khashoggi left its consulate after visiting there on Tuesday to obtain paperwork that would allow him to marry his Turkish fiancee, who was waiting outside.

Donald Trump has yet to condemn the actions of Saudi Arabia, express outrage, or call for an investigation into the matter.

Turkey has requested a search of the consulate, after going public with its accusation that Khashoggi had been murdered within its walls.  Saudi Arabia has denied the claims.  Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said later that Turkish officials are welcome to conduct a search as there is nothing to hide.  However, no search has yet taken place.

Erdogan told reporters: "Consulate officials cannot save themselves by saying that he left the building.  If he left, you have to prove it with footage."

Turkish officials say they have "concrete proof" of the killing which they believe was carried out by a 15-person Saudi team who arrived in the country just days prior.  No evidence has been publicly released, but it is rumored that the evidence consist of audio and video recordings, where sounds of torture and killing can be heard.   Turkish officials further claim that Khashoggi was killed on the premises of the embassy, his body dismembered, removed in vans for transport to Saudi diplomatic aircraft, and then flown out of the country.

These allegations of what the Saudi authorities may have done to one of their most prominent critics are horrific.  It is no surprise that no condemnation has come from Trump, who has not been ashamed of his support (and what some characterize as admiration) for the thin-skinned despot prince. 

A former editor of the al-Watan newspaper and a short-lived Saudi TV news channel, Khashoggi was for years seen as close to the Saudi royal family. He served as an adviser to senior Saudi officials.  After several of his friends were arrested, his column was cancelled by the al-Hayat newspaper and he was allegedly warned to stop tweeting,  After MBS was appointed crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi left the country for the U.S where he began to write opinion pieces for the Washington Post and continued to appear on Arab and Western TV channels.

The incident is certain to further damage the relationship between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which was already strained.  Turkey backed Qatar when it was being targeted by a Saudi blockade, and it also backed Saudi Arabia's arch-rival Iran during its U.S. trade disputes.