Missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi ‘may have recorded his own murder on his Apple Watch’ as Donald Trump vows ‘severe punishment’

MISSING Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have recorded himself being tortured and hacked to death on his Apple Watch, reports claim.

Audio and video recordings which emerged yesterday proved Khashoggi, 59, was tortured and murdered inside a Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, by a 15-strong hit team yesterday.

Now, pro-government Turkish newspaper is reporting the country has the Apple Watch footage which captured his final moments.

The Sabah newspaper claims authorities recovered the audio from Khashoggi's iPhone and his iCloud account, which were synced up to his watch.

He is reported to have given his phones to his fiancee before entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud has said claims "about orders to kill [Khashoggi] are lies and baseless allegations against the government of the kingdom".

But US President Donald Trump vowed there would be "severe punishment" for Saudi Arabia if Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate.

Speaking to 60 Minutes on CBS, the former reality TV star, 72, said: "Could it be them? Yes."

Trump, who has attacked the press as the "enemy of the people", also said:"There's a lot of stake, and maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. You'll be surprised to hear me say that.

"We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment."

Turkish spies have told officials they eavesdropped on the October 2 killing, with US officials notified.

The audio recording in particular is said to provide “persuasive and gruesome” evidence that an assassin team was responsible, officials said.

It is said to have captured Khashoggi’s screams as he was beaten then hacked to pieces.

A source told Khashoggi’s paper, The Washington Post: “You can hear his voice and men speaking Arabic.

“You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured then murdered.” Saudi officials say Khashoggi left the consulate shortly after entering but CCTV suggests otherwise.

The journalist had long-standing ties to the Saudi royals, but become an arch critic of Donald Trump ally Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has denied foul play.

Saudi and Turkish officials are investigating.

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