Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

We Now Know How Saudi Officials Used a Body Double to Cover Up Jamal Khashoggi's Death, and There's Surveillance Footage to Prove It

We Now Know How Saudi Officials Used a Body Double to Cover Up Jamal Khashoggi's Death, and There's Surveillance Footage to Prove It
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - (ARCHIVE) : A file photo dated May 6, 2018 shows Prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, Turkey. Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi died after a brawl inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Saudi Arabia announced Saturday. (Photo by Omar Shagaleh/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Really?

The mystery surrounding the disappearance and assassination of Jamal Khashoggi deepened on Monday after a Turkish official told CNN that one of the men involved with Khashoggi's murder posed as a body-double after the journalist was killed.


Security camera footage obtained by CNN shows an individual wearing Khashoggi's clothes, a fake beard, and glasses leaving the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul shortly after Khashoggi vanished inside on October 2.

The man dressed as Khashoggi, Mustafa al-Madani, is believed to have been part of the 15-man hit squad that carried out the torture and brutal killing of the Washington Post columnist.

"In the apparent cover-up that followed Khashoggi's death," CNN wrote on Monday, "Madani, 57, who is of similar height, age and build to Khashoggi, 59, was used as a decoy for the journalist, according to the Turkish official."

"Madani, a decade older than the other members of the 15-man team, exited the consulate building by the back door along with an alleged accomplice," CNN reported. "Madani was wearing what the video appears to show to be Khashoggi's dark blazer, gray shirt opened at the collar and trousers."

One Turkish official told CNN that al-Madani was specifically brought in to act as a body-double once Khashoggi was dead. He entered the Saudi Consulate around 11:00 A.M.

"You don't need a body double for a rendition or an interrogation," the official said. "Our assessment has not changed since October 6. This was a premeditated murder and the body was moved out of the consulate."

"Khashoggi's clothes were probably still warm when Madani put them on," the official added.

Khashoggi arrived a couple hours later. Shaun King notes the difference in shoe size between Khashoggi and the man pretending to be him.

Here is al-Madani leaving the consulate dressed as Khashoggi, minus the shoes.

Below is al-Madani spotted leaving the Blue Mosque in his own clothes after he had prayed while impersonating Khashoggi.

Criticism of Saudi Arabia, Khashoggi's native country believed to be responsible for Khashoggi's death, is permeating social media.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has struggled to come up with a viable explanation for Khashoggi's death other than a planned assassination.

First, the cause was a "fistfight" gone wrong. Then word spread that Khashoggi died in a chokehold.

“That is how he died,” one Saudi official said. “It didn’t last that long.” No reason why Khashoggi would start a fight with 15 Saudi guards was given.

It then took the Saudi government 18 days to acknowledge that Khashoggi was dead.

On Sunday, however, the kingdom's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News that Khashoggi's killing was "murder" and a "tremendous mistake," but that  they "don't know where the body is."

"We are determined to uncover every stone," al-Jubeir said. "We are determined to find out all the facts. And we are determined to punish those who are responsible for this murder."

Turkish officials claim to have audio recordings of what really happened to Khashoggi, which reports say included an interrogation, torture, and dismemberment while the journalist was still alive.

The perpetrators, including an autopsy specialist named Dr. Salah al-Tubaigy, allegedly used a bone saw to cut Khashoggi's body to pieces.

President Donald Trump has vowed "severe punishment" if the evidence shows the Saudi government was behind the assassination of Khashoggi. On Saturday, Trump told the Washington Post that “obviously there’s been deception, and there’s been lies" on the part of the Saudis.

Still, the president has emphasized the strategic importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, referring to the kingdom as an "incredible ally" and brushing off suspicions that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of a journalist.

“Nobody has told me he’s responsible," Trump told the Post. "Nobody has told me he’s not responsible. We haven’t reached that point . . . I would love if he wasn’t responsible."

More from People/donald-trump

Blurry silhouette shot of a woman standing against a window, pulling a curtain back. The picture has a blue tint.
Photo by Maru Lombardo on Unsplash

People Who've Been Caught Hooking Up Outdoors Share Their Experiences

Ahhh, love out in the outdoors.

There is something about the fresh air and the hint of danger.

Keep ReadingShow less
Travis Kelce with his mom, Donna
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic/GettyImages

Donna Kelce Had Some Hilariously Brutal Advice For Travis Ahead Of His First Major TV Role

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has done some TV work before in stints like Saturday Night Live and in the comedy series Moonbase 8, but the 34-year-old is now set to make his major acting debut in a scripted TV show in Ryan Murphy's upcoming horror series Grotesquerie.

In preparation for Kelce's foray into Hollywood, his mom, Donna Kelce, shared the advice she gave to her son as she prepared to watch the show for the first time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marco Rubio and Donald Trump
YouTube/CNN

Old Rubio Debate Zinger Ripping Trump Resurfaces After Trump Launches $100k Watch Grift

After former President Donald Trump started hawking $100K "Trump" watches, the perfect old clip of Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio mocking Trump resurfaced.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump encouraged his supporters to purchase watches to support his presidential campaign:

Keep ReadingShow less
YouTube screenshot of Hoda Kotb
TODAY/YouTube

Hota Kotb Gets Emotional Announcing She'll Be Leaving 'Today' Show—And Now We're All Sobbing

It's the end of an era for Today and for Hota Kotb, who tearfully announced on Thursday that she would be leaving the show early next year.

Kotb, who has been apart of the NBC family for nearly three decades, has most recently co-hosted the fourth hour of Today with Kathie Lee Gifford and then Jenna Bush Hager and co-anchored Today with Savannah Guthrie for the last five plus years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Kamala Harris; Donald Trump
MSNBC; Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Harris Just Slipped In Another Epically Shady Dig At Trump's Rally Crowd Sizes During Interview

Vice President Kamala Harris had her supporters cracking up after she slipped in another shady dig at former President Donald Trump's rally crowd sizes during an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle.

Harris sat down for the interview two weeks after she and Trump met for this election cycle's first—and likely only—presidential debate between the two of them ahead of November's general election. The event marked the first time Harris had ever actually met Trump in person and observers widely agreed she won it.

Keep ReadingShow less