Khashoggi was strangled or suffocated and body dismembered, Turkish prosecutor says

U.S.-based writer Jamal Khashoggi was strangled or suffocated as soon as he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and his body was subsequently dismembered and disposed of, Turkey's chief prosecutor said Wednesday.

After weeks of leaks, Irfan Fidan's comments mark the first detailed account by Turkish officials of what they believe happened to Khashoggi after he vanished on Oct. 2.

Fidan did not offer any evidence for his version of events.

The death of Khashoggi — a Washington Post columnist and a critic of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — sparked global outrage and left the kingdom facing a crisis.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly shifted its account of what happened to Khashoggi after he entered its consulate almost a month ago.

President Donald Trump has called the effort to conceal Khashoggi's killing the "worst cover-up ever."

After vehement denials that Riyadh was involved in Khashoggi's disappearance, Saudi officials admitted Oct.19 that the dissident was killed inside the building.

But for days, they maintained that Khashoggi's death was a mistake when an attempt by rogue operatives to persuade him to return to Saudi Arabia escalated into a fatal fistfight.

Saudi Arabia's attorney general admitted Thursday that evidence shared by Turkish officials suggests that Khashoggi’s killing was "premeditated."