Khashoggi strangled to death, body cut into pieces: Turkish prosector

New Delhi, Nov 01 (ANI): Journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled to death soon after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, while his body was 'cut into pieces', chief Turkish prosecutor Ifran Fidan said.
"In accordance with plans made in advance, the victim Jamal Khashoggi, was choked to death immediately after entering the Consulate General of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. The victim's body was dismembered and destroyed following his death by suffocation," CNN quoted a statement from Fidan as saying.
Fidan's statement comes amid growing pressure upon Riyadh to extradite the 18 individuals held for their alleged role in Khashoggi's murder, with Turkey demanding answers from Saudi Arabia regarding the crime.
A few weeks after the October 2 incident, Saudi had accepted the fact that the group of 15 Saudi agents were behind the murder of the former Washington Post journalist, leading to an international furore and complicating the already delicate relations between Saudi, Turkey and the US.
Turkish authorities have repeatedly accused Riyadh of causing hindrance in the ongoing investigations into the case by denying key pieces of evidence, including the whereabouts of the body. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called upon the Gulf country to expose the people who sanctioned the murder.
Often on the receiving end of Khashoggi's criticisms, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had earlier lauded the "unique" cooperation between Saudi and Turkey.
In wake of the murder, Germany suspended export licenses to Saudi, while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo invalidated visas of Saudi officials who are believed to be part of the plot to murder the journalist.
United States President Donald Trump has also come under immense pressure for his support for Riyadh, which is a key cog to the US' interests in the Middle East. While Trump condemned the murder, calling it "one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups," he stated that the US should not criticise the Saudi regime owing to the impending multi-billion dollar arms agreement between the two counties.
18 officials who were linked to the plan to murder Khashoggi have been arrested by Saudi.
Khashoggi went missing on October 2, after stepping into Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey to collect documents that would allow him to get married to Hatice Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate for Khashoggi. Cengiz raised an alarm after Khashoggi failed to re-emerge from the Saudi consulate. (ANI)