Journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder on Oct. 2, 2018, at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul has had countless political ramifications on the international level. Although the remains of Khashoggi’s body have yet to be discovered, chilling footage recently broadcast by pro-Turkish government television channel A Haber shows men from the hit team carrying five cases into the residency of Saudi Arabia’s consul general, Mohammad al-Otaibi. Although the footage, which an official in Ankara claims is accurate, confirms what most analysts have concluded early in the Khashoggi case (that Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the consulate), it does provide new clues about the murder that could help answer unresolved questions.

How will this new footage impact the Turkish government’s investigation as well as Ankara’s relationship with Riyadh?

While Turkish investigators conducted a search of the Saudi Arabian Consulate and the residency shortly after Khashoggi’s killing without finding the body, a focus has returned to the residency because of these revelations. The question arises of whether the Turkish prosecutor’s team will acquire a warrant to search the residence again this year. Nonetheless, if Saudi authorities do not consent to another search, it is doubtful that another search will be possible even if a warrant is given to the team. By using Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic immunity, which prevents diplomats from being subject to a lawsuit or prosecution in the host country’s legal system, it is almost guaranteed that officials in Riyadh will continue refusing to cooperate with their Turkish counterparts.

From a strategic perspective, Turkey’s officials have run circles around their Saudi counterparts throughout the aftermath of Khashoggi’s murder. Ankara’s drip-feeding of evidence behind the killing has successfully enabled this case to continue making headlines without the story being overtaken in the global press by other events. As politicians and civil society members throughout the West continue to express outrage over the Khashoggi saga (albeit with the United States, the United Kingdom and France — Saudi Arabia’s top three arms suppliers — not freezing weapons sales to Riyadh), the pressure will remain on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (often referred to by his initials, MBS), which is precisely what Turkey’s leadership desires. Unquestionably, the launch of an international investigation, which Turkey’s foreign minister is working toward in coordination with other governments, would elevate the seriousness of this murder case to an entirely new level, ultimately putting more pressure on MBS to come clean about what occurred in the Saudi Arabian Consulate.