Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in his country's consulate in Istanbul was "planned" in advance.
Erdogan was addressing MPs from his ruling party.
Khashoggi is believed to have been killed on October 2 when he visited the Saudi consulate to collect papers he needed to marry his Turkish fiancée.
Riyadh initially alleged that the critic of the Saudi policy had walked out of the building, but later charged that Khashoggi died in a "fist fight" inside the consulate – an account that was questioned, amid widespread belief that Khashoggi's death was premeditated.
'Murder planned'
Erdogan said Khashoggi, who was living in self-exile in the US where he was writing for The Washington Post, was killed in a "savage way", without providing any details or evidence.
The Turkish president said 15 Saudi nationals had arrived in Istanbul in the days and hours before and after the murder.
A day before the killing, he said, some from the squad traveled to Belgrad forest, an area near the consulate which has been searched by Turkish police last week to look for the body.
"Saudi consulate cameras were removed, all footage was deleted from hard drives. Camera footage shows that Khashoggi did not leave the consulate," he said.
Eighteen arrests
Erdogan confirmed that 18 people had been arrested in the Kingdom over the case, adding that he wants the Saudi suspects to be tried in Turkey.
"My demand is that 18 people be tried in Istanbul."
"All those who played a role in the murder" have to face punishment, Erdogan noted.
The Saudi cabinet also said Saudi Arabia will hold accountable those responsible for Khashoggi's killing and those who failed in their duties "no matter who they may be", after a meeting chaired by King Salman on Tuesday.
