Parts of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi's body have been found at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, a Turkish opposition leader claims.

Dogu Perincek, leader of Turkey's Rodina party, claimed in an interview that body parts were discovered in a well on the grounds of the consulate, Haberler reported.

Turkish authorities have not offered a comment on the claims.

They emerged before Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, promising to reveal the "naked truth" behind the killing, told lawmakers on Tuesday that a plot to murder Khashloggi began days in advance.

He said 15 Saudi nationals, "intelligence, security and forensic" officials including generals, entered the consulate the day of the murder and emerged hours later before boarding flights back to Riyadh.

The hard drive for the consulate's CCTV system was removed just hours before the "gruesome" murder, the president added.

Consular officials went on a "mission" to the Belgrade Forest and the city of Yalova the day before the killing, Erdogan said, referring to sites that are being searched.

He said Khashoggi was the victim of a "savage" and "planned" murder, and there can be no cover up, as he called on Saudi Arabia to reveal more details, including where Khashoggi's body is.

He said he doesn't question the honesty of Saudi King Salman, but he does not accept the kingdom's explanation that the journalist was killed by a "rogue" team.

The president called for an independent commission to probe the killing, and said criminal trials should be held in Istanbul.

Earlier, it was claimed that Khashoggi's severed fingers were taken back to Saudi Arabia and presented to the kingdom's ruling crown prince after the murder.

A hit squad that assassinated the Washington Post columnist chopped off his fingers when he was still alive and kept them as a macabre trophy, according to reports.

Dissident Khashoggi's chopped-off digits were put in a bag and flown to Riyadh on a private jet as proof of the mission's success, it was said.

Khashoggi, 59, was tortured and murdered by a hit squad, known as the Firqat el-Nemr, or Tiger Squad, that operates under the guidance and supervision of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the Middle East Eye claimed.

Source: Mirror.co.uk

BDST: 1655 HRS, OCT 23, 2018
AP