Dec. 31 (UPI) -- New video footage aired in Turkey may show the killers of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi carrying his body out of the Istanbul consulate in bags.
Turkish television station A-Haber aired the CCTV video Monday, which shows men carrying large bags out of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Turkish newspaper Yeni Şafak reported the men could be members of a Saudi hit team sent to kill Khashoggi, a frequent critic of the Saudi government and royal leadership.
It's believed Khashoggi's killers used a bone saw to dismember his body, Istanbul's chief prosecutor has said, although the remains have not been found.
The writers of a new book this week say Khashoggi's body is still at the consulate, possibly inside the well of its garden. Authors Abdurrahman Şimşek, Nazif Kahraman and Ferhat Ünlü say Turkish officials believe parts of Khashoggi's body are in the well, and other parts could be scattered elsewhere.
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The book, Diplomatic Atrocity: Dark Secrets of the Khashoggi Murder, was written from interviews with top Turkish officials who had access to investigators and audio tapes that are said to have captured the killing. It says Saudi officials have declined Turkey's request to search the garden's well.
Khashoggi, a fierce critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had visited the consulate to obtain paperwork needed for his planned marriage. Turkish authorities believe he was killed inside the consulate shortly after he arrived.
The plot, which the Saudi government initially denied, caused international outrage. The CIA concluded after its own investigation that Salman himself likely ordered Khashoggi's death. President Donald Trump has not directly blamed the crown prince and has expressed a reluctance to compromise U.S.-Saudi relations.
Turkey has called on Saudi Arabia to extradite Khashoggi's killers to stand trial there.
