By Mahmut Geldi
ISTANBUL (AA) – After the Oct. 2 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, all eyes turned to his body double who appeared in surveillance cameras.
Mustafa Al-Madani, 57, who is of similar age and height, was captured on surveillance cameras in Istanbul on the day Khashoggi was murdered.
He is seen dressed in the journalist’s clothes, eyeglasses, and his watch to make it look like as if he had left the consulate building.
Al-Madani is believed to be part of the 15-member Saudi hit squad, who was allegedly sent to Istanbul to kill the journalist.
According to some Arab media reports, al-Madani is a manager at a state-run engineering corporation in Saudi Arabia.
His social media account also lists him as an engineer.
Al-Madani is also seen in some photos on social media while welcoming some individuals in a palace-like place.
This shows that al-Madani may be a figure close to Riyadh administration and King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
– Al-Madani is ‘security officer’
According to a Saudi official, who was cited by Reuters on Sunday, al-Madani is part of the hit squad sent to Istanbul comprising officials from the Saudi intelligence and security forces.
This report also hints that he is probably a security officer.
Meanwhile, a surveillance footage released by CNN shows al-Madani leaving the Saudi consulate by the back door.
According to a CNN report, Madani had entered the consulate building by the front door four hours earlier together with Saudi's forensic medicine chief Salah al-Tubaiqi.
The video obtained by CNN also shows al-Madani without a beard and wearing a blue and white shirt and dark blue trousers.
He is also seen in Khashoggi's clothing near the city's Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet district hours after the journalist was seen entering the consulate building on Oct. 2.
Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.
After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for two weeks, Saudi Arabia said he was killed during a “brawl ” inside the consulate.
His body has not been recovered, nor has Saudi Arabia explained its shifting narrative on what transpired.
On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Khashoggi's murder was premeditated, adding that his country had strong evidence showing that it was planned.
