Turkish media identifies consulate attache as key Saudi intelligence figure

In a new report on Tuesday, Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah suggested that the attache to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was the main orchestrator of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

According to the report which cites Turkish officials, Ahmad Abdullah al-Muzaini - deputy head of the consulate - was the main Saudi intelligence official operating there.

Sabah reported that Muzaini was at the consulate when Khashoggi visited on 28 September, several days before he was killed.

According to Sabah's sources, Muzaini flew later that day to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he met with the deputy chief of Saudi intelligence, Ahmad Asiri.

He then returned to Istanbul on 1 October to carry out the assassination the next day. Sabah described Muzaini as the "black box" of the operation and reported that he had been heavily tracked by Turkish intelligence.