Al Jazeera: Saudis tampered with CCTV cameras after Khashoggi murder: report

According to the report, on October 6, at 1am local time, a consulate member staff went into the police security post outside the Saudi consulate to access the video system.

Sabah reported that the staff member put in a digital lock code into the system, which did not dismantle any cameras, rather the code was to prevent access to any videos showing movement at the entrance, including Khashoggi's arrival at the consulate.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reporting from Istanbul said that their attempt was, in any case, irrelevant because the police had already deciphered the coding and accessed the system, retrieving a copy of the video well before the attempted tampering. [...]

Cavusoglu added that Turkey has further evidence regarding Khashoggi's killing which they have yet to share with the public and that details of his case will continue to be reported to the public until the investigation is complete.

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Politico: What Turkey Hopes to Gain from Khashoggi’s Murder

Khashoggi’s killing in Istanbul unexpectedly created a chance to turn around that misfortune, or to at least lessen its sting. Erdogan, a clever, ruthless operator, is not about to let it slip through his fingers. With his security services in possession of evidence that appears to link Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler to the crime, Erdogan is perfectly placed to extract concessions from the Saudis. And given that the Trump administration has built a foreign policy strategy that hinges on cooperation with MBS, and that Trump’s behavior suggests he is invested in protecting the kingdom, Erdogan’s leverage over the Saudis extends into leverage over the United States. [...]

Erdogan has to tread carefully. In Trump and MBS he is dealing with two powerful and vindictive leaders. That’s why the information is not coming directly from Erdogan. That’s why he has made conciliatory moves, publicly offering to hold a joint Turkish-Saudi investigation. In a curious coincidence, in the midst of the Khashoggi crisis, a Turkish court ordered the release of Andrew Brunson, the American pastor whose captivity in Turkey was one of the greatest irritants between Ankara and Washington. The release opens the way to more changes in the U.S.-Turkey relationship. Trump insists the two cases are unrelated, but the timing suggests otherwise.[...]

By championing justice for Khashoggi, Erdogan can burnish his tarnished image. The man who crushed all dissent at home can claim to fight for the rule of law; a country that leads the world in jailing journalists appear to spearhead the quest for justice in the killing of a journalist.[...]

It was fascinating, then, that when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled from Riyadh to Ankara this week to discuss the Khashoggi case, Syria came up in the conversation. After Pompeo’s short meeting with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, along with Erdogan’s national intelligence chief and a top presidential adviser, Covusoglu told reporters, “We conveyed to the U.S. the importance of applying the Manbij road map.” The Turks seemed happy with what they heard. “Although it was a brief meeting,” Cavusoglu said, “it was useful and efficient.”

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Politico: Beginnings of a Turkish-German bromance

The meeting might have drawn little notice were German-Turkish relations not at their lowest point in decades. Berlin has led criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s turn toward authoritarianism, which has included the arrest of a number of German citizens on what Berlin considers bogus grounds.

The Turkish leader has responded with a string of ad hominem attacks, accusing German companies of supporting “terror” in his country and drawing comparisons between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Nazis. Erdoğan has also lashed out at several other European countries and the U.S., suggesting they were trying to undermine Turkey in various ways.

The breakdown of the relationship with Germany has not been without cost. Tensions with Turkey’s most important trading partner and long a key ally in Europe has left Ankara particularly isolated. And with millions of Turks living in Germany, the collapse in the bilateral relationship worries many in Berlin, as well. [...]

The new tune suggests the Turkish leader is starting to take the economic impact of Turkey’s growing isolation seriously. Since the 2016 failed coup against Erdoğan, Turkey’s currency has taken a nosedive.

While the cheap lira has boosted exports and fueled growth, it has also led to a spike in inflation, which is near a 15-year high. Government interference in the economy has added to foreign investors’ concerns about Turkey’s course, and they are turning away from the country.  

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