Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote critically of the kingdom’s policies and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared earlier this month on a trip to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, where Turkish officials believe he was killed.
A Consulate staff is seen behind the entrance of the Saudi Arabia’s Consulate in Istanbul, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. On Wednesday a pro-government Turkish newspaper published a report made from what they described as an audio recording of Saudi writer and journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s alleged torture and slaying at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Here are some key moments in the disappearance of the Washington Post columnist:
BEFORE HIS DISAPPEARANCE
— September 2017: The Post publishes the first column by Khashoggi in its newspaper, in which the former royal court insider and longtime journalist writes about going into a self-imposed exile in the U.S. over the rise of Prince Mohammed. His following columns criticize the prince and the kingdom’s direction.
— Sept. 28, 2018: Over a year after the Post published his first column, Khashoggi visits the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, seeking documents in order to get married. He’s later told to return Oct. 2, his fiancée Hatice Cengiz says.
— Sept. 29: Khashoggi travels to London and speaks at a conference.
— Oct. 1: Khashoggi returns to Istanbul.
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THE DAY OF HIS DISAPPEARANCE
— 3:28 a.m. Oct. 2: A private plane arrives at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport carrying some members of what Turkish media will refer to as a 15-member Saudi “assassination squad,” including a man that officials describe as a forensics and “autopsy expert.” Others arrive via commercial flights, Turkish officials say.
— 1:14 p.m.: Surveillance footage later leaked to Turkish media shows Khashoggi walking into the main entrance of the Saudi Consulate. No footage made public ever shows him leaving and his fiancée waits outside, pacing for hours.
— 3:07 p.m.: Surveillance footage shows vehicles with diplomatic license plates leaving the Saudi Consulate for the consul general’s home some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away.
— 7 p.m.: A private plane just arrived from Saudi Arabia carries six members of the alleged Saudi squad from Istanbul to Cairo, the next day returning to Riyadh.
— 11 p.m.: Seven members of the alleged Saudi squad leave on the other private jet to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which the next day returns to Riyadh. Two others leave by commercial flights.
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INITIAL REACTION
Oct. 3: Khashoggi’s fiancée and the Post go public with his disappearance. Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi visited the consulate and exited shortly thereafter. Turkish officials suggest Khashoggi might still be in the consulate. That night, Prince Mohammed tells Bloomberg: “We have nothing to hide.”
Oct. 4: Saudi Arabia says on its state-run news agency that the consulate is carrying out “follow-up procedures and coordination with the Turkish local authorities to uncover the circumstances of the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi after he left the consulate building.”
Oct. 5: The Post prints a blank column in its newspaper in solidarity with Khashoggi, headlined: “A missing voice.”
Oct. 6: The Post, citing anonymous Turkish officials, reports Khashoggi may have been killed in the consulate in a “preplanned murder” by a Saudi team.
Oct. 7: A friend of Khashoggi tells the AP that officials told him Khashoggi was killed at the consulate. The consulate rejects what it calls “baseless allegations.”
Oct. 8: Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Turkey is summoned over Khashoggi’s disappearance and alleged killing.
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LEAKED FOOTAGE
Oct. 9: Turkey says it will search the Saudi Consulate as a picture of Khashoggi walking into the diplomatic post surfaces.
Oct. 10: Surveillance footage is leaked of Khashoggi and the alleged Saudi squad that killed him. Khashoggi’s fiancée asks President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for help.
Oct. 11: Turkish media describes Saudi squad as including royal guards, intelligence officers, soldiers and an autopsy expert, details they later confirmed to the AP. Trump calls Khashoggi’s disappearance a “bad situation” and promises to get to the bottom of it.
Oct. 12: Trump again pledges to find out what happened to Khashoggi.
Oct. 13: A pro-government newspaper reports that Turkish officials have an audio recording of Khashoggi’s alleged killing from his Apple Watch, but details in the report come into question.
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INTERNATIONAL UPROAR
Oct. 14: Trump tells CBS’ “60 Minutes” that “we’re going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment” if Saudi Arabia is involved. The kingdom responds with a blistering attack against those who threaten it, as the manager of a Saudi-owned satellite news channel suggests the country could retaliate through its oil exports. The Saudi stock exchange plunges as much as 7 percent at one point.
Oct. 15: A Turkish forensics team enters and searches the Saudi Consulate, an extraordinary development as such diplomatic posts are considered sovereign soil. Trump suggests after a call with Saudi King Salman that “rogue killers” could be responsible for Khashoggi’s alleged slaying. Trump says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to the Mideast over the case. Meanwhile, business leaders say they won’t attend an upcoming economic summit in the kingdom that’s the brainchild of Prince Mohammed.
Oct. 16: A high-level Turkish official tells the AP that “certain evidence” was found in the Saudi Consulate proving Khashoggi was killed there. Pompeo arrives for meetings in Saudi Arabia with King Salman and Prince Mohammed. Meanwhile, Trump compares the case to the appointment of now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing, saying: “Here we go again with you’re guilty until proven innocent.”
Oct. 17: Pompeo meets with Turkey’s president and foreign minister in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
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