Turkish presidential adviser: Saudi Arabia's crown prince has journalist's blood on his hands

"It is a shame that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is involved in this. At least five members of the team that carried out the murder were Salman's right-hand men. They could not have acted without his consent," Ilnur Cevik, an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wrote in an editorial for local newspaper Yeni Birlik.

"Even if US President Trump saves Salman, in the eyes of the world he will still be a suspect with Khashoggi's blood on his hands," Cevik wrote.

Cevik is one of Erdogan's many advisers and is not a prominent one.ReutersThis is considered the most blunt comment from an aide to Erdogan about the connection between the Saudi Crown Prince and the journalist's death.

It is unclear whether the article reflects Erdogan’s views. The Turkish president addressed parliament on October 23, stressing the need to bring all those responsible – from those who gave the orders to those who carried out the actions – to justice.

Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain marriage documents. Riyadh initially said it did not know where Khashoggi was, but more than two weeks later admitted he had been killed in the consulate during “an argument that turned into a fight.” It arrested 18 people and fired five senior officials, including Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide to the crown prince.

Saudi Arabia's explanation has been met with skepticism and criticism from Türkiye and the West, with US President Trump saying on October 23 that it was "the worst cover-up ever".