Khashoggi killing not possible without orders from senior positions: AK Party spokesman

The killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi could not have been carried out without orders from someone in a senior position, the spokesman for Turkey's ruling AK Party said on Wednesday.
"Turkey does not blame anyone in advance, but won't allow cover up of anything," he added.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Ömer Çelik said Turkey would not let anyone cover up Khashoggi's killing, and added that it was not possible that Saudi officials had still not found the journalist's body.

Khashoggi went missing after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After initially saying Khashoggi had left the consulate alive, the Saudi administration admitted weeks later he had died there.

"We want to know where the body [of Khashoggi] is, we want that our authorities receive information about who the local collaborators are", Ömer Çelik said in a statement.

Investigation of the incident suggests a special hit squad came to the consulate to kill Kashoggi and cover up the murder. The international community refused to accept the Saudi claim that the incident was not a premeditated murder.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed that all details of the case should be revealed, including who gave the instruction for the "premeditated murder".

U.S. President Donald Trump said he could impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia, but also signaled that he did not want to harm bilateral relations.

Telephoning Erdoğan, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman promised necessary cooperation.

The chief prosecutor's office in Riyadh also announced that the murder was planned.