On October 2, Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. He was brutally murdered, likely dismembered, and his remains surreptitiously disposed of. His killers were almost certainly dispatched from Riyadh by high-ranking members of the government of Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy run by Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s crown prince and a close American ally. If Turkish claims are to be believed—and under its present leadership that is a serious caveat—some of those Saudi henchmen have direct ties to the crown prince. According to reports, one of them, an autopsy specialist, entered the country with a bone saw.

Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who obtained U.S. residency in 2017, lived in Virginia and wrote for the Washington Post. Turkish authorities say they have audio recordings of him being dismembered, though they appear to be holding on to them as part of a calculated series of leaks. The New York Times cites “American officials” claiming awareness of intelligence intercepts of Saudi operatives discussing the possibility of detaining Khashoggi.