The Turkish government has told U.S. officials it has audio and video proving journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul this month, The Washington Post reported.
The Post, citing unnamed officials, reported the recordings show a Saudi security team detained Khashoggi after he walked into the consulate Oct. 2 to get an official document before his upcoming wedding — then killed him and dismembered his body.
The officials claim the audio in particular provides both persuasive — and gruesome — evidence the Saudi team is responsible for Khashoggi's death, the Post reported.
"The voice recording from inside the embassy lays out what happened to Jamal after he entered," one source told the Post. "You can hear his voice and the voices of men speaking Arabic. You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured, and then murdered."
A second source told the Post the men could be heard beating Khashoggi.
It is not clear if U.S. officials have seen and heard the evidence, but Turkish officials have described their contents to their American counterparts, the Post reported.
Saudi officials have denied any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi.