© Saudi Gazette/Associated Press
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman • Jamal Khashoggi
Audio and video evidence exists and has been widely shared with world intelligence agencies, including the US, UK, Russia and Germany, and others which have a relationship with Turkey or are seen as influential. That is why, despite their desperate desire to do so,
no Western country has been able to maintain support for Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. I have not seen the video from inside the consulate, but have been
shown stills which may be from a video. The most important thing to say is that
they are not from a fixed position camera and appear at first sight consistent with the idea
they are taken by a device brought in by the victim. I was only shown them briefly. I have not heard the audio recording.
There are many things to learn from the gruesome murder other than the justified outrage at the event itself. It opens a window on the truly horrible world of the extremely powerful and wealthy.
The first thing to say is that the current Saudi explanation, that this was an intended interrogation and abduction gone wrong, though untrue, does have one thing going for it.
It is their regular practice. The Saudis have for years been
abducting dissidents abroad and returning them to the Kingdom
to be secretly killed. The BBC World Service often contains little pockets of decent journalism not reflected in its main news outlets, and here from August 2017 is a
little noticed piece on the
abduction and "disappearance" of three other senior Saudis between 2015-17. Interestingly, while the piece was updated this month, it was not to include the obvious link to the Khashoggi case.
Comment: There does seem to be an undercurrent strategy afoot and big change-ups ahead. The West is embroiled in a dynamics crisis, forced to think for the first time in decades. Thus the 'rush' to Russia is underway - a powerful new haven.