It is no secret now that closed circuit television plays a crucial role in preventing and solving crimes. While the presence of CCTV itself can alone serve as an effective deterrent against crime, the would-be criminal not wanting to be caught in the act on camera and subsequently identified, CCTV is also a proven method of proving guilt (or innocence) should a crime occur.
CCTV Gathering the Facts
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More often than not CCTV is used to identify thieves in shops, establish whether or not someone was at the scene of the crime, or if it happened at all. These cases, while serious to those involved, are not exactly world-changing events. CCTV is simply doing what it was designed to do, but sometimes footage being caught on camera can have major ramifications on the world stage and even impact global politics. Such footage can completely change how an influential person, group or even nation is perceived and alter history forever.
Was the Crime Planned?
Take the recent death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This story may change perception of a country for decades. The outcry caused by it could even (potentially) serve as the catalyst for a future regime change now that CCTV footage has emerged suggesting that the crime was planned and this possibly ordered by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia himself.
Jamal Khashoggi arrived at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect some personal documents related to his marriage. Khashoggi himself, a reporter for the Washington Post living in the United States, was from Saudi Arabia originally and had to leave the country for his own safety after becoming a vocal critic of the current regime. Khashoggi believed that meeting on neutral ground was the best thing to do, therefore had his documents send to Istanbul to avoid returning to Saudi Arabia itself. Where the consulate is considered Saudi soil he was still under the protection of the Turkish authorities.
Incriminating Evidence Caught on CCTV
Unfortunately Khashoggi never walked back out of the building leading many to suspect Saudi representatives inside had murdered him. Naturally the Saudi government have denied this, but recent CCTV footage has indeed come to light incriminating the nation. The footage shows a man matching Khashoggi’s description leaving the consulate several hours later. However rather than greeting his wife, who had waited outside for him, the man simply walks away from the building alone.
Upon further inspection it becomes clear that this man is not Khashoggi at all but an imposter and not a particularly convincing one. Experts analysing the footage have reported that the imposter has changed into Khashoggi’s clothes, attached a false beard and bears little resemblance to the real Khashoggi.
CCTV Footage Shows He Never Left The Building
It’s beyond the scope of this piece of writing to go into if Saudi Arabia are guilty or not, or if their crown prince had anything to do with the possible killing. What is damning however is the footage proves without reasonable doubt that Khashoggi never left the building on his own and that someone went to the trouble or putting his clothes on a body double. This suggests that whatever did happen was pre-mediated. Unfortunately for whoever organised this crime; the camera doesn’t lie. This incriminating CCTV footage may be the cause of Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the rest of the civilised world being strained for a very long time.
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