At this point the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi after entering the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago has become a criminal case, and fingers are pointing at Saudi authorities.
Turkish forensic experts armed with state-of-the-art technology have been going through the Saudi Consulate's compound meticulously for the past two days seeking evidence that Khashoggi was actually murdered at the facility.
There has been media speculation that Khashoggi was actually tortured and killed at the consulate, and his body was disposed of.
American media has been speculating that the Saudis will soon announce that Khashoggi was accidentally killed during an interrogation at the Istanbul consulate.
What is clear is that something bad happened to Khashoggi, and some people in Saudi Arabia are responsible.
Khashoggi was an ardent critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and there is speculation that the Saudi monarch may have been behind the disappearance of the journalist. There is talk that he was behind a plot to draw Khashoggi to the Saudi consulate, where the journalist was apprehended. Khashoggi was after official documents showing that he was divorced but could not obtain them from the Saudi consulate in the U.S. and was told he could get the documents in Istanbul.
The issue has been drummed up in world media as the crown prince's mistake.
Now Saudi King Salman has stepped in and is actively trying to minimize the damage caused by the Khashoggi incident. He has contacted U.S. President Donald Trump, who now says lone criminals acting independently may have committed the murder, which suggests the American leader is trying to save the Saudi monarchy from embarrassment.
King Salman has called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to thank him for Turkey's understanding and help. This means Turkey has also tried to contain the damage created by this massive fiasco, and the Saudi king appreciates the effort.
Turkey has not capitalized on the troublesome situation that the Saudi kingdom is facing at the moment, despite the negative attitudes of the crown prince in the past. On the contrary, it has opted to help out the kingdom and respect the sensitive nature of the mystery. The understanding displayed by Erdoğan has been appreciated in Riyadh.
Despite all this, if American media sources are correct, the king will have to produce some criminals involved in the Khashoggi case. In other words, he will either give up his crown prince or railroad Saudi officials who were involved in the incident.
