'Khashoggi's audio tape left Saudi intelligence official shocked', says Erdogan

"When the Saudi intelligence officer heard the tape he said about the perpetrator ‘this guy is perhaps using heroin, only a man on heroin can do such a thing'," Erdogan said.

Jamal Khashoggi. AP Photo

New Delhi: An audio recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been shared by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with his western allies which is garnering international attention. The content of the tape has been described as a “calamity” by the Turkish leader, who said it shocked a Saudi Arabian intelligence officer who listened to the audio, the Turkish media reported. Erdogan called on Saudi to take a strong action against the perpetrators of the murder. Asserting that the Turkish intelligence did not conceal anything, he said all those who asked for it have listened to the recording. Saudi Arabia, the US, France, Canada, Germany and the UK have listened to this recording. After returning from Paris, Erdogan briefed media and told that when the Saudi intelligence officer heard the tape, he said about the perpetrator ‘this guy is perhaps using heroin, only a man on heroin can do such a thing,’ Hurriyet Daily News reported Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a supporter-turned-critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 after he went there to get documents for his forthcoming marriage. Erdogan said "The Crown Prince says 'I will shed light on this incident and will do whatever is necessary.' He told my special representative. We are waiting patiently." Khashoggi’s killing has stirred worldwide outrage with suspicion looming over Saudi regime’s alleged involvement. Initially, Saudi Arabia stated that Khashoggi left its consulate alive on Oct. 2, but nearly three weeks later, the Arab kingdom admitted he had been killed at the diplomatic mission's building due to a fight, an account about which several governments have expressed skepticism. Later, the Saudi prosecutor's office announced that 18 people had been arrested and that the security officials involved in the case had stepped down. Turkey said it believed a hit squad of Saudi nationals had travelled to Istanbul with the sole purpose of killing Khashoggi, a former member of the Saudi elite who became critical of the current government's administration in his country.