Saudi Prosecutor on Khashoggi Uncooperative, Turk Officials Say

(Bloomberg) -- The Saudi prosecutor investigating the murder of government critic Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate hasn’t even flown home from Turkey yet, but officials there are already saying he wasn’t very helpful.

Saud al-Mojeb didn’t cooperate with Turkish counterparts who demanded he identify the alleged “local collaborator” in the killing, or provide information on where Khashoggi’s body might be, pro-government journalist Abdulkadir Selvi wrote in his column in the Hurriyet newspaper on Wednesday. The Washington Post reported the same, similarly citing Turkish officials it didn’t identify.

Since Khashoggi, a columnist for the Post, vanished on Oct. 2, Turkish officials have strategically leaked key developments in the case to control the narrative. In recent days they had gone quiet.

Read more on the killing: Erdogan’s Big Gamble: Taking on Mideast Powerbroker Saudi Arabia

Al-Mojeb, who is scheduled to leave Turkey later Wednesday at the end of a three-day trip, visited the consulate building and met with Turkish officials. He focused on getting evidence collected by Turkish investigators, including data extracted from Khashoggi’s mobile phone, Selvi said in his column. The Saudi prosecutor also rejected Turkish demands to extradite Saudi nationals involved in the murder, Selvi said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Onur Ant in Ankara at oant@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Benjamin Harvey at bharvey11@bloomberg.net, Amy Teibel, Mark Williams

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