A member of the hit squad suspected in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was captured on surveillance cameras on the streets of Istanbul dressed up in the journalist's clothes, a fake beard and glasses on the day he was killed, Turkish authorities told CNN on Tuesday.
The exclusive footage, which is part of the investigation led by the Turkish government, shows the body double leaving the Saudi consulate premises from the rear entrance after Khashoggi entered on Oct 2. He was later spotted at the Blue Mosque in the Fatih district.
Mustafa al-Madani, the body double who is of similar build and height as Khashoggi, was identified by a Turkish official as one of the members of the 15-man hit squad deployed to murder the prominent journalist.
"You don't need a body double for a rendition or an interrogation… Our assessment has not changed since Oct. 6. This was a premeditated murder and the body was moved out of the consulate," a Turkish official told CNN.
The footage also identified a key individual involved in the murder alongside Madani, four hours before the double was spotted leaving the consulate in Khashoggi's clothes.
Saudi sources have not confirmed the information.
After days of denying its involvement in the death of the Washington Post journalist at its Istanbul consulate, Saudi Arabia finally admitted early Saturday that Khashoggi had died during a "brawl" inside the mission, an account that has drawn widespread skepticism.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sunday he would reveal the "truth" about the Khashoggi case on Tuesday while Turkish officials vowed to pursue the case after Saudi Arabia's admission of guilt.
Turkish police sources say 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes on the Oct. 2 and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was still inside. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
