An Egyptian woman says she married Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in a religious ceremony in the United States this year, months before he was killed at a Saudi consulate in Turkey while seeking papers needed to marry a different woman.
The disclosure of the marriage, which Khashoggi appears to have kept hidden from his Turkish fiancee and even members of his family, adds to the complicated timeline of Khashoggi’s final months before he was killed by a team of Saudi assassins in October.
In an interview, the woman said she was coming forward to reveal her relationship with Khashoggi because “as a Muslim wife, I want my full right and to be recognised”.
She spoke on the condition that she be identified only by her first initial and last name, H. Atr, citing concern for her security and her job.
Atr provided The Washington Post with text messages that she and Khashoggi exchanged and photos of them together, including some from their wedding ceremony, which took place in June in a Washington suburb.
A longtime associate of Khashoggi who participated in the ceremony as a witness confirmed Atr’s account. He also spoke on the condition of anonymity because of safety concerns.
Members of Khashoggi’s family declined to comment on the marriage. His Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, said in a telephone interview that she was not aware of Khashoggi’s relationship with Atr and questioned her motives.
“Jamal never told me about this woman,” Cengiz said. “Why is she trying to change the picture people have of Jamal? What does she want? … I suspect that this is an attempt to discredit him and hurt his reputation.”
If she were to establish that she was Khashoggi’s legitimate wife, Atr could be in a position to claim part of any compensation that his family collects from the Saudi government. The legal status of Atr’s marriage to Khashoggi is unclear, however – neither appears to have obtained a marriage licence.
