Jamal Khashoggi was strangled, the first-ever statement issued by Turkish prosecutor reveals

A Turkish prosecutor has stated that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was strangled as he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul as part of a premeditated killing, and his body was dismembered and disposed of.

A statement from chief Istanbul prosecutor Irfan Fidan's office also said Wednesday that discussions with Saudi chief prosecutor Saud al-Mojeb have yielded no "concrete results" despite "good-willed efforts" by Turkey to uncover the truth.

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The statement is the first public confirmation by a Turkish official that Khashoggi was strangled and dismembered after he entered the Saudi Consulate on October 2 to collect paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

 The head of the Saudi investigation, Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb, who last week acknowledged that the killing was "premeditated" based on Turkish evidence, met with Istanbul chief prosecutor Irfan Fidan for around 75 minutes on Monday, October 29 the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

Mojeb was then expected to inspect the Saudi consulate. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday said there was "an advantage in our prosecutors sharing information and working together".

"The cooperation must continue, but it must not be drawn out or turned into a diversion. The investigation must be completed as soon as possible, so that the whole truth is revealed," he told a press conference in Istanbul.

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Both the countries are known to be running a joint investigation of the incident. But as per the reports of ANI, Turkey has been leaking material about the case to the media intentionally, to build pressure for a full disclosure from Saudi Arabia. Turkey is seeking the deportation of the Saudi suspects detained for the murder. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, however, said that the perpetrators would be tried in the Kingdom itself and brought to justice post the completion of the entire investigation. 

In their current narrative, Saudi officials depict the murder as a rogue operation run by agents who exceeded their authority. Some of those concerned in the killing is close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's heir-apparent whose condemnation of the killing has failed to relieve suspicions of his involvement.