One of the 15 suspects in the death of dissident Jamal Khashoggi dressed up in his clothes and was caught on surveillance cameras walking around Istanbul on the day Khashoggi went missing.
Footage being used as part of the Turkish government’s investigation into Khashoggi’s death was shared with CNN, and shows the man, identified as Mustafa al-Madani, leaving Saudi Arabia's consulate through the back door wearing Khashoggi’s clothes, a fake beard, and glasses, a senior Turkish official told CNN.
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Khashoggi’s fiancée Hatice Cengiz was waiting outside the consulate when a guard told her that her fiancée may have left through the back door, Khashoggi’s friend Turan Kislakci told CNN.
Turkish law enforcement also say Madani was seen walking around the Blue Mosque the same day, and he was still wearing Khashoggi’s clothes. The footage is the latest sign that Saudi officials were complicit in his death and tried to cover it up.
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and Saudi dissident, entered the Saudi consulate Oct. 2 to obtained paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancée, he was never seen again. Investigators indicate that a 15-man hit squad, including Madani, was sent to kill Khashoggi during his appointment.
Turkish officials told CNN that Madani, 57, is of similar height, build, and age of Khashoggi, which is why he was used as a body double for the journalist as his body was moved from the consulate.
Saudi Arabia initially denied any involvement or knowledge of the events surrounding Khashoggi’s death and disappearance, but eventually conceded that he was killed in the consulate in what they say was a “fistfight.”
[Recordings: Jamal Khashoggi's fingers cut off, then beheaded, dismembered]
"You don't need a body double for a rendition or an interrogation," the official said, adding that they clothes were probably still warm when Madani put them on. "Our assessment has not changed since October 6. This was a premeditated murder and the body was moved out of the consulate."