Has the sacrificial lamb arrived ? New recordings in Khashoggi's murder

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir rejected the report, calling it" nothing new", adding in a tweet that it contained"baseless allegations".

Riyadh:

A few moments before the assassination and resignation of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October, two of his alleged killers, who are expected to appear before the Consulate of the kingdom in Istanbul, are worried about the task entrusted to them, according to a UN report published on Wednesday.

Will it be possible to put the trunk in a bag?"asked Maher Mutreb, a Saudi intelligence officer who worked for a senior advisor to the crown prince, according to the report of the UN Special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions.

"No, it's too heavy," said Salah Al-Tubaigy, an interior ministry medical examiner who allegedly dismembered and disposed of the body, according to the report. He hoped that his work would be"easy".

Tubaigy continued, "the joints will be separated. It's not a problem. The body is heavy. The first time I cut on the floor. If we take plastic bags and cut them into pieces, they'll be finished. We'll wrap each one of them. . "

Mutreb and 10 others are currently being tried behind closed doors in Saudi Arabia for their role.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir rejected the report, calling it" nothing new", adding in a tweet that it contained"baseless allegations".

The report, which calls on Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials to investigate their responsibility, is based on recordings and forensic work by Turkish investigators and information from trials in Saudi Arabia.

Noting the absence of surprise at his death among those present in the recordings or any apparent attempt to revive him, the report indicates that the evidence of premeditation outweighs the allegations of Saudi accidental death.

Khashoggi, a critic of the prince and columnist for The Washington Post, was last seen at the consulate where he was to receive papers before his marriage.

A first visit a few days earlier had triggered preparations for a "very secret mission" including travel bookings and conversations involving Mutreb, a security attaché at the consulate and the consul general, said the report.

In a telephone call, Mutreb learned that Khashoggi would return the following week: "yes, we were all shocked. We just talked. I said, " How are you? ". There's nothing official, but we know he's one of the sought-after people. "

"How could this happen in an embassy?"

The UN report concludes that the murder was deliberate and premeditated. The CIA and some Western countries believe that the crown prince ordered the murder, which Saudi officials deny.

The media published the contents of some of the recordings obtained inside the consulate, but the rapporteur's report revealed some frightening new details.

At the end of the exchange with Tobaigy, Mutreb asks if "the sacrificial lamb" has arrived. At no time was the name of Khashoggi mentioned, but two minutes later it entered the building.

He was taken to the consul General's office on the second floor, where he met Mutreb, whom he knew for having worked together at the Saudi Embassy in London a few years earlier.

At some point, Mutreb tells Khashoggi to text his son. "What should I say? Soon? I can't say abduction," answers Khashoggi.

"Cut short" is the answer. "Take off your jacket."

"How could this happen in an embassy?"Khashoggi said. "I'm not writing anything."

"Hit him, Mr. Jamal. Hurry up. Help us so that we can help you because in the end we will bring you back to Saudi Arabia and if you do not help us, you know what will happen in the end; let this question find a good end ", says Mutreb.