The US resident of Virginia, journalist and political dissident went inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 with his fiancée waiting outside for some official paperwork allowing him to marry..and reportedly never came out. Turkey's blamed Saudi Arabia for killing him, but Saudi Arabia's denied wrongdoing.
Why it matters: Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman could find it tough to attract foreign investors when the latest U.S. intelligence suggests he ordered Khashoggi's abduction, per WaPo.
- Sponsors and speakers are pulling out of the kingdom's Future Investment Initiative (aka "Davos in the Desert"). The New York Times said it won't be a media sponsor, and Arianna Huffington no longer plans to attend.
- Ex-Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and former European Commission VP Neelie Kroes both pulled out from advising Saudi Arabia's $500 billion Neom megacity project until more is known.
Turkish officials reportedly have obtained recordings proving how Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed. The Washington Post reports American officials are aware of recordings showing a Saudi security team detaining Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate and then killing and dismembering his body. Weijia Jiang reports. .
