Saudi journalist used Apple Watch to record own interrogation and execution, report says [...

Posted:
in General Discussion edited October 2019
A report out of Turkey on Friday claims journalist Jamal Khashoggi used an Apple Watch to record and upload audio of his own interrogation, beating and execution to iCloud.


Jamal Khashoggi and fiancee Hatice Cengiz. | Source: Hatice Cengiz via The Washington Post


Editor's note: A website posing as AppleInsider published a faux report with a false quote attributed to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Neither Cook nor Apple has officially commented on the Khashoggi incident. The following is AppleInsider's original coverage.

According to a Sabah Gazetesi report, Khashoggi recorded what is believed to be audio evidence of his death inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey more than a week ago. Sabah Washington correspondent Ragip Soylu posted a screenshot of the story to Twitter on Friday.

In its report, Sarah claims Khashoggi recorded questioning by a "hit squad." A copy of the audio file was synced with Khashoggi's iPhone, which was in the possession of fiancee Hatice Cengiz. Cengiz was waiting outside the consulate during the alleged exchange, assumedly within Bluetooth range of the Apple Watch in question.

The report does not specify what app Khashoggi used, how the audio was transferred to his iPhone or how it made its way to iCloud. Apple Watch does not support cellular functionality in Turkey, meaning the data was uploaded automatically via iPhone or, less likely, through a direct connection with a local Wi-Fi network.

Whether the report is accurate remains to be seen. As it stands, a number of key details of Khashoggi's supposed last minutes are confusing or incongruent with presented evidence.

Following the allegedly fatal encounter, Sarah claims Saudis gained access to the watch using Khashoggi's fingerprints and deleted certain files on the device. This suggests the so-called "hit squad" confiscated the journalist's iPhone from Cengiz, something that has gone unconfirmed. The claims also assume Khashoggi's Apple Watch was set to unlock with iPhone.

While Saudis were able to wipe certain files from Khashoggi's device or devices, they were less successful in deleting data from iCloud, the report says.

Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post and critic of the current regime under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey to obtain paperwork necessary to marry Cengiz.

CNN in a Friday report citing a Western intelligence source said Turkish authorities have audio and video evidence of an attack and ensuing struggle in the consulate. The evidence, characterized as "shocking and disgusting" by the unnamed source, also proves Khashoggi was killed.

Whether the audio evidence and the supposed Apple Watch recording are one and the same is unknown.

In its own coverage of the incident, The Washington Post claims Mohammed sought to lure Khashoggi back to his homeland, where he would be detained. The theory is based on information from Turkish officials who say two teams of Saudis totaling 15 men entered the country in what appears to be a "rendition" operation.

Previous reports speculated health data from Khashoggi's Apple Watch might be used to assist in the ongoing investigation.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 64
    We invaded the wrong country after 9/11. Bloodthirsty Saudi Arabia had their fingers all over it.
    edited October 2018 magman1979flyingdpfastasleepStrangeDayskölnermark fearingchiaCiprolbshankpalomine
  • Reply 2 of 64
    Something about this story does not ring true. It says "... [the] Saudis gained access to the watch using Khashoggi's fingerprints and deleted certain files on the device.."

    Huh?! How do I gain access to the Watch using TouchID? 

    And, is it possible to record on the Watch (even using an app)? Then transfer it to the phone? And upload automatically to iCloud? How would he have known the wifi password for the Saudi consulate? And how would people have access to his iCloud account?
    ---
    (Add: I've 
    answered some my own questions. Yes, it is possible, it turns out. One can set the Watch to unlock when the iPhone is unlocked; there are third-party apps such as "Just Press Record" that store locally on the Watch, then transfer to the iOS divide and/or cloud; his friends or associates could have known his iCloud login I suppose; it's possible that he did use wifi with some type of public login. Wow. Just WOW.)
    edited October 2018 wonkothesanedoozydozenchiacaladanianrossb2leptonstevenozjony0badmonk
  • Reply 3 of 64
    Typical...not to sound too cynical...but as you look around the world, (all hemispheres), there are no real wars left.

    Except in the Middle East!

    Yes, there are regional problems, as with the Royhinga in Myanmar, whatever is going on in the Philippines and, of course, Crimea/Ukraine.

    Only the Middle East continues to be an area of the world that has not obliged itself of the success as have the emerging markets of India, Brazil, China, Africa, Vietnam, etc., etc.

    E.g., China, a country of ~1.4 billion people has lifted half their population out of poverty and had ~10% growth in GDP (YOY) for the last 30 years...(Down to ~7% growth, currently, I think?)

    Islam needs a Reformation. Similar to what happened to Christendom in the 16th century. (You know, where God told us to burn more Catholics b/c it was 'cold' outside!)  s/

    Oh well, don't mean to sound like I know everything...


    Saudi Arabia is not our friend! They're too concerned with fighting a 2,500 year old regional war with 'Persia' (i.e., Iran)

     :)

    P.S. Why is 'Arabia' at war with 'Persia' you might ask? Yes, Arabia are Sunni Muslims, and Persia are Shia Muslims. But, one sect believes the caliphate should be a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad and one sect doesn't. Are you f'ing kidding me!  'Que so what, so what' or better yet, 'Inshallah.'
    edited October 2018 anantksundarammagman1979chiaequality72521bshankpalominerossb2GeorgeBMaccornchip[Deleted User]
  • Reply 4 of 64
    He didn’t take his iPhone inside with him, he left it outside with his fiancée. 

    Since cellular Watches aren’t available in Turkey, he must have been connected to WiFi to get the data out, unless they recovered the watch (which would contradict the “his is missing” story)
  • Reply 5 of 64
    This story has bigger hole than Titanic. 
    cornchip
  • Reply 6 of 64
    lennlenn Posts: 36member
    If CNN reported that water is wet I wouldn't believe them. CNN like most other American "news" outlets are in business to make money and create controversy so more people will watch them and their advertisers content. The Washington Post is the same.


    doozydozenlkruppcornchipmike54entropyscaccamucca
  • Reply 7 of 64
    roakeroake Posts: 809member
    Could be that the consulate had public WiFi that the watch synced across.  If he had ever connected to it before, the info would have synced across his iOS devices.  It would be plausible that his watch and both phones (see below) would have automatically joined the network.

    The watch could have a third-party recording app that also has an iPhone version.  These apps could have synced across WiFi, via iCloud, possibly even Bluetooth (I have a set of apps that sync recordings between Apple Watch and iPhone).

    At least one story said he had two phones, left one with his fiancée, took one in with him.  What I don’t know is if the phone that was with him could have been used to unlock the watch, and the other phone set up to sync the file.  I suppose the watch app could sync with any number of iOS devices on the same account, though.
    doozydozencornchipclaire1
  • Reply 8 of 64
    This story, “The audio evidence came from a self-recorded Apple Watch file” was fabricated to give the Turks cover for their bugging of a foreign country’s embassy (Saudi Arabia). 
    buckalecdoozydozenne1williamlondonpalominerossb2GeorgeBMacunbeliever2urashidentropys
  • Reply 9 of 64
    matrix077 said:
    This story has bigger hole than Titanic. 
    Actually, the size of the hole in the Titanic was about the surface area of a common household refrigerator! :)

    Oops! There I go again. Sounding like I know everything! Sorry!

    I take your point. :)
    gilly017GeorgeBMacclaire1
  • Reply 10 of 64
    lenn said:
    If CNN reported that water is wet I wouldn't believe them. CNN like most other American "news" outlets are in business to make money and create controversy so more people will watch them and their advertisers content. The Washington Post is the same.
    Hmmm. You make good points.

    Certainly, having news organizations owned by 'entertainment' or other corporations is deleterious to good news reporting and one could argue, democracy in general.

    We would all be better served if we didn't watch either FoxNews or MSNBC. I agree they are pugilists and provocateurs.

    One could make the argument not to watch TV altogether. (Except Fareed Zakaria's GPS on CNN- the best and most intelligent news show on television.)

    Essentially, we should read more.

    Here's an idea...

    Start with Time Magazine and if you think it's a bit biased, take out a subscription to the WSJ or the Economist and read that as well.

    Then take an empirical approach to understanding the problems confronting the world, instead of, parroting an opinion of the last person you spoke to. 

    P.S. Thomas Jefferson said, he'd prefer "newspapers w/o government" over "government w/o newspapers." (ca 1787)

    Gives one pause. Or it should.

    Best.
    edited October 2018 StrangeDaysmark fearingchiabageljoeybshankpalominelkruppredgeminipacornchipretrogusto
  • Reply 11 of 64
    His fiancé waited outside the consulate with his iPhone for 12 hours.
    It is a large house close to the street.
    it is very possible the AppleWatch was able to connect via Bluetooth or WiFi
    He had been to that consulate before.
    He was beaten, interrogated, killed and dismembered with 2 hours.
    His body parts, clothing and watch were taken to the Saudi consul’s residence for disposal.
    When they left the consulate, his watch may have been within Bluetooth range.
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 12 of 64
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,408member
    lenn said:
    If CNN reported that water is wet I wouldn't believe them. CNN like most other American "news" outlets are in business to make money and create controversy so more people will watch them and their advertisers content. The Washington Post is the same.


    This is, of course, complete horseshit. 
    StrangeDayssdbryanchiabshankpalomineredgeminipaGeorgeBMacretrogustounbeliever2dsd
  • Reply 13 of 64
    lenn said:
    If CNN reported that water is wet I wouldn't believe them. CNN like most other American "news" outlets are in business to make money and create controversy so more people will watch them and their advertisers content. The Washington Post is the same.


    This is, of course, complete horseshit. 
    Unnecessarily dismissive and does very little to forward your argument.

    No offense, of course. :)
    rossb2
  • Reply 14 of 64
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    lenn said:
    If CNN reported that water is wet I wouldn't believe them. CNN like most other American "news" outlets are in business to make money and create controversy so more people will watch them and their advertisers content. The Washington Post is the same.
    Sounds like you’ve been programmed with a particular agenda. 
    doozydozenchiasphericgilly017bshankpalomineredgeminipaGeorgeBMacnetmageradarthekat
  • Reply 15 of 64
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    lenn said:
    If CNN reported that water is wet I wouldn't believe them. CNN like most other American "news" outlets are in business to make money and create controversy so more people will watch them and their advertisers content. The Washington Post is the same.
    This is, of course, complete horseshit. 
    Unnecessarily dismissive and does very little to forward your argument.
    He’s not making an argument.
    doozydozenchiasphericbshankredgeminipaGeorgeBMacbackstabnetmageradarthekatCarnage
  • Reply 16 of 64
    Who would doubt this story given the history of the Saudis? Just follow the money. All that Saudi money flowing to the oil folks, that keep us captive to their cruelty and ridiculousness. The current President for that matter. Any country that refuses to allow open criticism of its leaders is asking for this kind of behavior. Bullies like to bully. And they hate being called out as bullies.
    gilly017rossb2GeorgeBMaccornchipStrangeDays
  • Reply 17 of 64
    AriosArios Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    The people parroting president trump concern me. He gives me the impression of structured chaos and manufactured controversy. So when you start to complain about fake news but only mention cnn broadly instead of on a per show basis, but then forget to mention fox at all, you just sound like one of his little brainwashed minions who he has trained to distrust all unflattering coverage of him and only believe news that never criticise him. And so even as people around him get plea deals and jail time and his ship burns, you guys swear we’re in heaven and no President was worse than Obama and none better than trump. Meanwhile most of the country is divided, and our leader, rather than unite us is picking fights on Twitter with pop stars and athletes and leading national boycotts of America’s favorite sport. He will say or do something crazy and yell woe is me and fake news when media companies cover his circus. Because the more he engages in silly cultural fights and distractions, the more his base love him and the tighter his grasp on power. And that’s all this is about right? Not leading the country to be better but staying in power to make as much profit as possible while he still can right?
    gilly017bshankGeorgeBMacStrangeDaysbackstabdsdclaire1radarthekathubbaxfastasleep
  • Reply 18 of 64
    mcdavemcdave Posts: 1,927member
    Typical...not to sound too cynical...but as you look around the world, (all hemispheres), there are no real wars left.

    Except in the Middle East!

    Yes, there are regional problems, as with the Royhinga in Myanmar, whatever is going on in the Philippines and, of course, Crimea/Ukraine.

    Only the Middle East continues to be an area of the world that has not obliged itself of the success as have the emerging markets of India, Brazil, China, Africa, Vietnam, etc., etc.

    E.g., China, a country of ~1.4 billion people has lifted half their population out of poverty and had ~10% growth in GDP (YOY) for the last 30 years...(Down to ~7% growth, currently, I think?)

    Islam needs a Reformation. Similar to what happened to Christendom in the 16th century. (You know, where God told us to burn more Catholics b/c it was 'cold' outside!)  s/

    Oh well, don't mean to sound like I know everything...


    Saudi Arabia is not our friend! They're too concerned with fighting a 2,500 year old regional war with 'Persia' (i.e., Iran)

     :)

    P.S. Why is 'Arabia' at war with 'Persia' you might ask? Yes, Arabia are Sunni Muslims, and Persia are Shia Muslims. But, one sect believes the caliphate should be a direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad and one sect doesn't. Are you f'ing kidding me!  'Que so what, so what' or better yet, 'Inshallah.'
    You mean they need to surrender their free will like the rest of us did.  Perhaps they’re the only ones left who can save us.
    claire1
  • Reply 19 of 64
    JFC_PAJFC_PA Posts: 932member
    Possible I suppose: Bluetooth has a useable range. 

    Or as suggested people are trying to obscure Turkish “sources and methods” by offering a borderline tech alternative. 

    Either way as a Washington Post contributor I’d expect there are verified voice files for comparison of his voice and these recordings. 
  • Reply 20 of 64
    ne1ne1 Posts: 69member
    davidness said:
    This story, “The audio evidence came from a self-recorded Apple Watch file” was fabricated to give the Turks cover for their bugging of a foreign country’s embassy (Saudi Arabia). 
    Exactly. That’s why there’s so much misinformation here.
    cornchipdavidness
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