Sam In Riyadh News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Here. lest we forget that the mystery at the center of all of this, the disappearance, jamana, of the washington post columnist, the turkish authorities threw leaks to the media say they have evidence about what happened to him in that consulate behind you. but that evidence hasn't been released, sam rightly pointed out. why? >> reporter: well, that's the big question, becky. and i think pressure is mounting on turkey right now, especially after you saw all these strong-worded statements from saudi arabia yesterday. not necessarily directed at turkey, but perhaps more the united states and the...

Said it was his personal opinion and not the official saudi position. we are joined in riyadh outside the saudi consulate here in istanbul. sam, let me start with you. some confusion in the messaging from saudi arabia. is it clear? why? >> reporter: it's not clear why entirely, becky, and i think you go right to the hub of the issue domestically here in saudi arabia. you've got two schools emerging, i think, a hard line taken particularly associated privately sources are telling me, with muhammad bin salman, the crown prince, and then a more conciliatory line that some experts tell me may be r...

And in a new statement, threatens retaliation for any move against its interest. the kingdom affirms that if any action is taken, it will respond with greater action. it also appeared to be in apparent put down of president trump. a few hours after their first statement, riyadh rolling back their rhetoric. to help clarify, recently issued saudi statement, the kingdom of saudi arabia extends its appreciation to all, including the u.s. administration, for refraining from jumping to conclusions on the ongoing investigation. khashoggi's disappearance is exposing possible rifts in riyadh. it is put...

Murdered allegedly by the saudis. somebody somewhere, perhaps in a very small cell, does know the answer. but i've been talking to very sear yen officials and i think they're quite genuine in saying, nobody quite knows how to react because they don't quite know what they're reacting to. there are questions that are asked of saudis of their own government as to why, for example, there is no cctv footage from inside the consulate when everybody knows such an environment would have that. on the same token, they cast great suspicion on anything coming from turkey. let's face it, hardly a champion ...

Because a lot of people are concerned. human rights activists we've spoken to in the region concerned this could really undermine any sort of credible investigation into what happened to jamal khashoggi. of course, the turkish government, the foreign minister over the weekend, saying this working group will not impact their criminal investigation, becky. >> jomana outside the consulate and sam in riyadh. i'm joined by ambassador matthew, the former senior u.s. official covering turkey. given your experience with the turkey and your deep understanding of the wider regional order or disorder, ...