This story was updated on Oct. 20, at 10am EDT. Just over two weeks ago, Saudi dissident and Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi vanished after going into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His disappearance has now evolved into a full-blown international crisis. Throughout it all, the Saudi government’s official line keeps shifting as the world waits for answers. Sept. 28: Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen who moved to the United States last year, visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect a document that he needed in order to marry his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz. When he was told he would need to return, he later arranged to come back on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 2, after spending the weekend in London. Oct. 2: Cengiz waited near the consulate with Khashoggi’s two cellphones while he went inside to retrieve the documents at 1:14 pm. He had instructed her to get help if he did not reappear. After a couple of hours, when he had still not returned from what should have been a routine visit, Cengiz rang the police. According to later media reports, Turkish staff at the consulate had been told to stay home on the day of his disappearance. In the early hours of that morning, Turkish news outlet Sabah reported, a private charter plane carrying nine Saudi officials and intelligence officers had arrived in Istanbul from Riyadh. Around 4 pm, six vehicles left the consulate carrying Saudi officials and intelligence officers. Two additional vehicles went from the consulate to the Saudi consul’s residence and remained there for the next four hours. Oct. 3: On what should have been his wedding day, Khashoggi was still missing. After speaking to Cengiz and an unnamed friend, Reuters reported his disappearance. Turkish and Saudi authorities, including the Istanbul consulate and the Saudi embassy in Washington, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while a US State official confirmed that they had seen the reports and were seeking further information. As questions began to circulate, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Bloomberg the Saudis were keen to know where he was, and that they would cooperate fully with any investigations. “We are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises,” he said. “The premises are sovereign territory, but we will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do. If they ask for that, of course, we will allow them. We have nothing to hide.” Oct. 4: Turkish sources reported that the country’s foreign ministry had summoned Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to clarify where Khashoggi had gone. The ambassador allegedly told Turkish officials he had no information about Khashoggi’s whereabouts. The Saudi government gave its first official statement on Khashoggi’s disappearance, via its official news agency. The consulate would be following up on media reports about the journalist’s unknown whereabouts “after he left the building of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul,” the statement said, before confirming that the country would carry out further procedures and coordinate with local authorities to find out where Khashoggi had gone after leaving the building. Foreign media outlets later reported that Saudi officials had said he had left the building via a back entrance. Oct. 7: A new statement from Saudi officials “dismissed” reports from Reuters that Khashoggi had been killed in the consulate. “The official strongly denounced these baseless allegations, and expressed his doubt that they came from Turkish officials that are informed of the investigation or are authorized to comment on the issue.” The statement, which was alleged to come from an unnamed Saudi consulate employee, claimed that “a security delegation of Saudi investigators arrived in Istanbul Saturday based upon a request by the Saudi government,” before concluding: “The source stressed that the Kingdom holds the safety and wellbeing of its citizens wherever they are, and that relevant authorities in the Kingdom are diligently following up on this matter to uncover the complete facts.” Oct. 8: Axios reporter Jonathan Swan received an unsolicited WhatsApp message from the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Khalid bin Salman, denying any allegations about Saudi governmental involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance. ”I assure you that the reports that suggest that Jamal Khashoggi went missing in the Consulate in Istanbul or that the Kingdom’s authorities have detained him or killed him are absolutely false, and baseless,” he said. Swan thanked him and asked whether there was footage of Khashoggi leaving the consulate. In an Oct. 12 post, he wrote: “I’m still waiting for a reply.” On the same day, unnamed Turkish officials told both Reuters and the Washington Post that the journalist had been killed inside the consulate, but provided no evidence or further details. Oct. 9: At a press conference in Budapest, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Saudi Arabia for CCTV evidence that, as they claimed, Khashoggi had left the consulate. ”He entered the general consulate himself and if he has entered by himself and if he did not exit it, of course this should be proven by the general consulate,” he said. Erdogan also announced that an investigation was underway by the Justice Ministry and the Turkish chief prosecutor in Istanbul, while airport entrances and exits were being investigated. “At the moment there are certain people who arrived from Saudi Arabia. And our chief investigator is investigating everything in this matter.” An opinion piece by Cengiz also requested the release of the video footage: “I also urge Saudi Arabia, especially King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to show the same level of sensitivity and release CCTV footage from the consulate.” Later reports claimed that the Turkish police investigation was now centered on a black Mercedes van believed to have been used to abduct Khashoggi, visible in video footage of a number of cars coming to the consulate and leaving around the time Khashoggi is believed to have been inside. Oct. 10: After security camera footage from the consulate failed to materialize, Turkish authorities claimed that it had been removed from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and perhaps taken overseas aboard one of the two corporate jets used to fly 15 Saudi officials from Riyadh to Istanbul on the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance. In a noted shift from Erdogan’s earlier call for an explanation, his advisor Yasin Aktay claimed “the Saudi state is not blamed here.” Oct. 11: Speaking to reporters at the White House, US president Donald Trump said Saudi Arabia would redirect its spending elsewhere if he were to cut off arms sales over Khashoggi’s disappearance, as many had urged him to do. He stressed that the journalist had not been an American citizen and that the events had taken place in Turkey, but added: ”We don’t like it.” In an appearance on Fox & Friends earlier that morning, Trump said he had spoken to Saudi officials: ”We’re probably getting closer than you might think, but I have to find out what happened.” Oct. 12: Amid mounting speculation that Khashoggi had been killed in the consulate, Saudi officials released two statements. The Minister of the Interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, denounced “false accusations circulated in some media on the Saudi government and people against the background of the disappearance of the Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi.” Claims that the journalist had been killed were, he said, “lies and baseless allegations against the government of the Kingdom, which is committed to its principles, rules and traditions and is in compliance with international laws and conventions.” A second statement, from an unnamed official source, announced a bilateral investigation between Turkey and Saudi Arabia into Khashoggi’s disappearance. It did not acknowledge requests for CCTV footage or earlier claims that Khashoggi had left the consulate. Oct. 14: With pressure from the international community growing, another official Saudi statement spoke out against “threats and attempts to undermine it,” citing economic sanctions, “political pressure” and the repeating of “false accusations that … undermined the Kingdom.” Pointing to the country’s “vital role in the global economy,” the statement adopted a threatening tone: “The Kingdom also affirms that if it receives any action, it will respond with greater action.” Oct. 15: Countries such as Sudan, Kuwait and Comoros offered Saudi Arabia their official backing against what the Saudi government described as “unlawful campaigns” and attempts to “exploit” Khashoggi’s disappearance. An Al-Jazeera video appears to show a cleaning crew armed with supplies descending on the consulate. Oct. 16: CNN reported that a Turkish official had anonymously informed the broadcaster that Khashoggi’s body was cut into pieces after he was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, echoing claims made in the New York Times. The night before, Turkish officials had searched the consulate for nine hours. It had recently received a fresh coat of paint “everywhere” inside the building. In an interview with the AP, Trump raised the notion of “rogue killers” being responsible for Khashoggi’s disappearance and compared the response to allegations of sexual assault made against US Supreme Court judge Brett Kavanaugh. “I think we have to find out what happened first,” he said. “You know, here we go again with ‘you’re guilty until proven innocent.’ I don’t like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh. And he was innocent all the way. So I was unconcerned.” He reiterated that the official Saudi line was that they had no information about Khashoggi’s whereabouts. Oct. 17: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Turkey, where he told reporters that he and Trump had spoken to the crown prince, and that more information was forthcoming. “He made clear that the Saudis had cooperated with the investigation that the Turks are engaged in.” Until the investigation had concluded, he said, they had no further comment to make. “We’re going to give them the space to complete their investigations of this incident, and when they issue their reports, we’ll form our judgment about thoroughness, depth, and the decisions they make about accountability connected to that.” Turkish plans to search the Saudi consul’s residence fell through after “the Saudis claimed that the consul’s family was inside,” Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters. “We have said before that Saudi Arabia must cooperate with us in every aspect without delay.” After speaking with three unnamed Turkish sources, CNN reported that Khashoggi had died after being interrogated in a mission organized by a high-ranking Saudi intelligence officer. A New York Times article described how Khashoggi’s killers had “severed his fingers and later beheaded and dismembered him, according to details from audio recordings described by a senior Turkish official on Wednesday.” He is alleged to have died within minutes. The Saudi government released another statement following Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh’s address at the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva. The former Saudi Minster of Justice criticized what he described as “misleading campaigns” against the country. Oct. 19: Saudi Arabia backtracked on its previous denials that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate, announcing through state media that the 59-year-old had in fact been killed in a “fight” there. Eighteen Saudi citizens are reportedly under investigation for his death, and deputy chief of Saudi intelligence Ahmed el-Asiri and royal court advisor Abdullah al-Qahtani have been fired.<doc-sep>Read: The irony of Turkey’s crusade for a missing journalist Those who are surprised by the way the Khashoggi story has dominated international and local media for nearly two weeks, almost entirely through a series of sensational leaks from Turkey, just haven’t been paying attention, Aaron Stein, a Turkey expert at the Atlantic Council, told me. “In Turkey, big meta-narratives like this are controlled,” he told me. “Whether it’s about the framing of a military operation, or displeasure with the U.S., or the way big trials are reported on, it all comes out of one office,” he said. “And that office is in the presidency.” The day after Khashoggi’s disappearance, Ibrahim Kalin, the top adviser to president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, guaranteed the story line would stay in the news by confirming rumors that Turks believed Khashoggi remained inside the consulate, rumors that turned out to be untrue. The consulate—where, for days, many believed Khashoggi was being held—became the main set for the drama. While Turkish officials already suspected the 60-year-old Washington Post columnist was dead, outside the consulate, protesters held up posters with Khashoggi’s name. Local journalists flocked to the scene. Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi’s fiancée, and his friend, Turan Kislakci, himself a journalist, made for sympathetic characters as they kept vigil outside the consulate. They gave interviews to local and international reporters, while police sorted through reams of surveillance footage from the thousands of cameras all over Istanbul and even inside taxis. Read: How to respond to a diplomatic crisis like Khashoggi’s disappearance The first revelation came on October 6. Reuters cited unnamed Turkish security officials as saying that Khashoggi was probably dead, killed inside the consulate shortly after his arrival. The international media began booking flights for Istanbul. Once they arrived, many set up tarps on a grassy patch between the consulate entrance and a supermarket across the street. Subsequent episodes featured an array of sordid details, relayed by local TV and even international media like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Security-camera footage showed Khashoggi entering the consulate and a doorman welcoming him inside. In another lurid twist, Sabah, a newspaper close to the Turkish government, plastered the faces of the 15 Saudis who allegedly arrived on two private jets hours before Khashoggi’s disappearance across its website. A two-and-a-half-minute video montage of the comings and goings of the alleged death squad’s private jets and vehicles, handed by unnamed sources to Turkish television channels, showed strange movements. It strongly suggested the men had come for the sole purpose of confronting Khashoggi, and then quickly left. It was like something out of Homeland or The Americans.<doc-sep>
The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist and prominent Saudi critic who died inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, wrote a touching tribute to him on Twitter. "They took your bodily presence from my world. But your beautiful laugh will remain in my soul forever," Hatice Cengiz tweeted Saturday evening, along with a video showing Khashoggi laughing during a TV interview. Cengiz, who is a Turkish national, last saw her fiancé after he entered into the consulate on October 2 to retrieve documents for their upcoming wedding. She says he never exited the building. She has been put under 24-hour police protection, Turkish state media said, hours after Saudi Arabia admitted that Khashoggi had died inside its embassy. The fiancée of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist and prominent Saudi critic who died inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, wrote a touching tribute to him on Twitter. "They took your bodily presence from my world. But your beautiful laugh will remain in my soul forever. My darling #jkhashoggi," Hatice Cengiz tweeted Saturday evening. —Hatice Cengiz / خديجة (@mercan_resifi) October 20, 2018 Cengiz attached a video of Khashoggi during an interview for a TV documentary. During filming, a cat jumped onto Khashoggi's lap, causing the journalist to erupt into laughter. "You should leave this in the film," he tells the camera. Cengiz, who is a Turkish national, last saw her fiancé after he entered into the consulate on October 2 to retrieve documents for their upcoming wedding. Cengiz says she waited for Khashoggi outside the consulate for roughly 11 hours but he never came out. She was told to call Turan Kislakci, the head of the Turkish Arab Media Association, in the event he did not exit the embassy, CNN reported. —Hatice Cengiz / خديجة (@mercan_resifi) October 13, 2018 Cengiz has been active on Twitter and has repeatedly called on world leaders to wrap up their investigations and disclose details on Khashoggi's whereabouts. Cengiz has been put under 24-hour police protection, according to Turkish state news agency Anadolu. Hatice Cengiz, the fiance of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi. AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis The order was made by Istanbul's governor's office, but didn't specify what prompted the decision to increase her security detail. Saudi Arabia acknowledged on Saturday that Khashoggi had died inside their Turkish consulate, but claimed that the 59-year-old was killed in a "fistfight" that escalated. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on Sunday denied that the nation's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the journalist's death, and reiterated claims that a "rogue operation" was responsible. But officials are skeptical of Saudi's explanation for the Khashoggi's death. Turkish officials have repeatedly touted claims that Khashoggi was brutally tortured and dismembered by what appeared to be a 15-person kill squad flown in from Saudi Arabia. US President Donald Trump said Saturday he wasn't satisfied with Saudi Arabia's latest response, but said canceling a $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia would hurt the US "far more than it hurts them." "Obviously there's been deception, and there's been lies," he told said during an interview with the Washington Post on Saturday. US officials have repeatedly called for Trump to order an investigation and trigger possible Magnitsky sanctions against those involved in Khashoggi's disappearance. For now, the US, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are continuing their investigation into the incident before Trump or the US Senate decide to retaliate.