ANKARA, Turkey _ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul was the result of a thoroughly planned plot, rejecting Riyadh's explanations of the murder and calling on Saudi's king to hold all culprits to account.
"We have strong evidence in our hands that shows the murder wasn't accidental but was instead the outcome of a planned operation," Erdogan told ruling AK Party lawmakers at parliament in Ankara. "Since this is a political murder, if there are other collaborators in this crime, they should also be included in the investigation."
Erdogan said all those responsible, including those "at the very top," should be brought to justice. He also called for 18 people identified so far to be tried in Istanbul.
Erdogan's comments bring to an end two days of suspense since he promised to reveal all details of the Khashoggi case "in all its nakedness." The president refrained from implicating King Salman, saying he had no doubts about his sincerity and referring to him as the protector of Islam's most holy sites, a sign of respect.
Erdogan made no reference to the kingdom's influential crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS.
