PARIS—Justin Trudeau says Canadian intelligence officials have listened to a recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The prime minister said he has not personally heard the recordings Turkey provided to Saudi Arabia along with allies such as the U.S. and Britain in recent days, though he said he has been fully briefed on its contents.

“Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share,” said Trudeau during a press conference at the Canadian embassy in Paris. He said he brought up the subject during a recent phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and briefly again when the two met this weekend in Paris.

His killing has received widespread condemnation, including from Trudeau himself, but Trudeau didn’t say how the recordings have affected his thoughts on repercussions for the Saudis. “We continue to be engaged with our allies on the investigation into accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and we are in discussion with our like-minded allies as to next steps towards Saudi Arabia,” he said. </s> PARIS, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Canadian intelligence has listened to Turkish recordings of what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist killed in Istanbul, said Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, although Trudeau added that he himself had not listened to them.

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate by a team sent from Riyadh. Saudi authorities have acknowledged that the killing was premeditated, but his body has not been found.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said over the weekend that audio recordings of the killing had been given to the U.S., French, German and British governments.

"Canada's intelligence agencies have been working very closely on this issue with Turkish intelligence and Canada has been fully briefed on what Turkey had to share and I had a conversation with Erdogan a couple of weeks ago and here in Paris we had brief exchanges and I thanked him for his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation," said Trudeau.

Trudeau specified that Canadian agents had heard the Turkish recordings, although he himself had not.

"We continue to be engaged with our allies on the investigation into accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and we are in discussions with our like-minded allies as to the next steps with regard Saudi Arabia," added Trudeau at a news conference in Paris on Monday. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta) </s> Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has became the first Western leader to acknowledge his country had heard recordings of the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.

“Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share,” Mr Trudeau said from Paris, where he was attending the Peace Forum following the WWI Armistice centenary.

His comments come just days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had given recordings “to Saudi Arabia, to America, to the Germans, the French, to the British, to all of them”.

The Canadian leader is the first since that announcement to officially confirm that “yes” his country’s intelligence had listened to the audio.

He said Canada’s intelligence agencies had been working “very closely” with Turkish intelligence on Mr Khashoggi’s killing.

The shared audio is the latest measure by Turkey to maintain international pressure on Saudi Arabia in its aim to stop a cover up of the October 2 killing.

Mr Trudeau said that he himself had not heard the audio, and he would not give any details on the contents of the tapes.

Mr Trudeau also said he thanked Mr Erdogan in person for “his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation” when the two leaders met in Paris this weekend. </s> PARIS — Justin Trudeau says Canadian intelligence officials have listened to a recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The prime minister said he has not personally heard the recordings Turkey provided to Saudi Arabia along with allies such as the U.S. and Britain in recent days, though he said he has been fully briefed on its contents.

“Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share,” said Trudeau during a press conference at the Canadian embassy in Paris.

He said he brought up the subject during a recent phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and briefly again when the two met this weekend in Paris.

Trudeau said he “thanked him for his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation.”
• Changing story again, Saudi Arabia says journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing was planned
• Canada condemns killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia consulate in Turkey

Khashoggi was a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia and was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, where he’d gone to get papers to marry his fiancee.

His killing has received widespread condemnation, including from Trudeau himself, but Trudeau didn’t say how the recordings have affected his thoughts on repercussions for the Saudis.

“We continue to be engaged with our allies on the investigation into accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and we are in discussion with our like-minded allies as to next steps towards Saudi Arabia,” he said. </s> PARIS -- Justin Trudeau says Canadian intelligence officials have listened to a recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The prime minister said he has not personally heard the recordings Turkey provided to Saudi Arabia along with allies such as the U.S. and Britain in recent days, though he said he has been fully briefed on its contents.

"Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share," said Trudeau during a press conference at the Canadian embassy in Paris.

He said he brought up the subject during a recent phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and briefly again when the two met this weekend in Paris.

Trudeau said he "thanked him for his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation."

Khashoggi was a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia and was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, where he'd gone to get papers to marry his fiancee.

His killing has received widespread condemnation, including from Trudeau himself, but Trudeau didn't say how the recordings have affected his thoughts on repercussions for the Saudis.

"We continue to be engaged with our allies on the investigation into accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and we are in discussion with our like-minded allies as to next steps towards Saudi Arabia," he said. </s> PARIS — Canada’s spy chief travelled to Turkey at the request of the prime minister and heard a recording of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says.

CSIS director David Vigneault “has listened to the audio tapes in question” and provided a briefing to Justin Trudeau and other Canadian officials upon his return, said John Townsend, a spokesman for the intelligence service.

Trudeau said Monday in Paris he has not personally heard the recording that Turkish officials have also provided to allies such as the U.S. and Britain in recent days, though he said he had been told about its contents.

“Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share,” Trudeau said during a press conference at the Canadian Embassy in Paris.

The development is the latest piece of a gradually unfolding investigation into the death that has reverberated through the international community.

Khashoggi’s killing last month at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul further strained an already difficult relationship with Canada and renewed public outrage over Ottawa’s $15-billion arms deal with the regime.

Canada has joined other countries in applying pressure on Riyadh to provide better answers about what actually happened to the journalist.

Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen but a resident of the United States who’s been critical of the Saudi monarchy, was last seen entering the consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2, where he’d gone to get papers to marry his fiancee.

His killing has prompted widespread condemnation, including from Trudeau himself, but the prime minister did not say how the recordings have affected his thoughts on repercussions for the Saudis.

“We continue to be engaged with our allies on the investigation into accountability for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, and we are in discussion with our like-minded allies as to next steps towards Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau said.

The shared audio is the latest move by Turkey to maintain international pressure on Saudi Arabia over the killing.

Trudeau said he brought the subject up during a recent phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and briefly again when the two met on the weekend in Paris. Trudeau said he “thanked (Erdogan) for his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation.”

Also Monday, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt was in Saudi Arabia, where he met King Salman and was expected to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The crown prince is widely suspected of at least having knowledge of the killing, which involved some members of his security entourage.

Hunt — the first British minister to visit Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi was killed — said he would press the kingdom to fully co-operate with a Turkish investigation into the writer’s killing.

“The international community remain united in horror and outrage at the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi one month ago. It is clearly unacceptable that the full circumstances behind his murder still remain unclear,” Hunt said in a statement ahead of landing in Riyadh.

On Sunday U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with the Saudi crown prince on the telephone and “emphasized that the United States will hold all of those involved in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable, and that Saudi Arabia must do the same.”

Under mounting pressure, Saudi Arabia has changed its story about the death, first saying Khashoggi walked out of the consulate the day he disappeared but eventually acknowledging he died inside. Saudi Arabia has also recently acknowledged Turkish evidence that showed the slaying was premeditated.

Turkey says a 15-member Saudi assassination squad strangled and dismembered Khashoggi at the consulate.

Saudi officials characterize the killing as a rogue operation carried out by Saudi agents who exceeded their authority.

— With files from The Associated Press </s> Speaking at a press conference in Paris on Monday, where he attended a peace forum following the WWI Armistice centenary, Trudeau said Canadian intelligence had listened to the audio tape provided by Turkish intelligence, but he had not done so

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has become the first Western leader to acknowledge that his country's intelligence received an audio recording of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that he gave recordings "to Saudi Arabia, to America, to the Germans, the French, to the British, to all of them", but there was no independent confirmation from any country that they had received it.

Speaking at a press conference in Paris on Monday, where he attended a peace forum following the WWI Armistice centenary, Trudeau said Canadian intelligence had listened to the audio tape provided by Turkish intelligence, but he had not done so, according to a report in the Guardian.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a supporter-turned-critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 after he went there to get documents for his forthcoming marriage.

"Canada's intelligence agencies have been working very closely on this issue with Turkish intelligence and Canada has been fully briefed on what Turkey had to share," he said.

"I had a conversation with Erdogan a couple of weeks ago, and here in Paris we had brief exchanges and I thanked him for his strength in responding to the Khashoggi situation."

On the other hand, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that recordings related to Khashoggi's murder were not to his knowledge in his country's possession, contradicting Erdogan.

Later, on being asked on France 2 television why the Turkish President had made the claim, Le Drian said: "It means he has a political game to play in these circumstances. If the Turkish President has information to give to us, he must give it to us."

Asked about the existence of a tape, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said: " I can tell you that there has been an exchange of intelligence service information on that." He declined to give any further details.

According to the daily, the British sources previously said they had been briefed on the contents of an alleged tape, but due to the sensitivity of intelligence exchanges, they refused to elaborate.

Khashoggi's body is yet to be found. It has been reported that he was strangled, dismembered and his body dissolved in chemicals.

After a weeks-long denial, Saudi Arabia admitted on October 25 that the journalist fell victim to a premeditated killing in the consulate and arrested 18 people. However, it denies the ruling royal family's involvement in the killing.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Except for the change in the headline, the story has been provided "AS-IS," "AS AVAILABLE, without any verification or editing from our side. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever. </s> PARIS Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday became the first Western leader to acknowledge his country had received the recordings of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"Canada has been fully briefed up on what Turkey had to share," Trudeau said from the Canadian Embassy in Paris, where he was attending the Peace Forum following the WWI Armistice centenary.

On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had given recordings "to Saudi Arabia, to America, to the Germans, the French, to the British, to all of them."

The Canadian leader is the first since that announcement to officially confirm that his country's intelligence had listened to the audio. </s> PARIS (Reuters) - Canadian intelligence officers have listened to Turkish recordings of what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, adding that he was discussing with allies what next steps should be taken.

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate by a team sent from Riyadh. Saudi authorities have acknowledged that the killing was premeditated, but his body has not been found.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said over the weekend that audio recordings of the killing had been given to the U.S., French, German and British governments.

When asked on a visit to Paris whether Canadian intelligence had heard the Turkish recordings, Trudeau said: “Yes”, although he added that had not heard them personally.

“Canada’s intelligence agencies have been working very closely on this issue with Turkish intelligence and Canada has been fully briefed on what Turkey had to share,” Trudeau told a news conference.

He added that he had also spoken to Erdogan about the issue in Paris over the weekend.

Canada is part of the so-called five eyes intelligence network which shares information along with the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Trudeau faces a dilemma as an election approaches over how to clamp down credibly on Riyadh over its human rights record while sparing a $13 billion arms deal with the kingdom.

He is under pressure to freeze the contract for armoured vehicles built in Canada by U.S.-based General Dynamics, although the deal underpins 3,000 jobs in the small city of London, Ontario.

Sidestepping a question on whether the recordings could change Ottawa’s relationship with Riyadh and have consequences, Trudeau said he was continuing to talk with allies about the investigation and accountability for those behind the murder.

“We are in discussions with our like-minded allies as to the next steps with regard to Saudi Arabia,” Trudeau said.

Earlier on Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Paris was not in possession of recordings related to Khashoggi’s killings, apparently contradicting Erdogan’s remarks.

“The truth isn’t out yet. We want to know the truth, the circumstances of his death and the identity of the culprits. Then we will take the necessary actions,” Le Drian told France 2 television. “If the Turkish president has information to give us, he must give it to us. For now, I don’t know about it.”
Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau confirms that Canadian intelligence officials have listened to the recording provided by Turkey of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, though he himself had not heard it.