Regional news outlets, including Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, are reporting that Sean Penn is filming a documentary about the murder of Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Penn was photographed with a small crew, ostensibly outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where Khashoggi was last seen alive.
Khashoggi, who was openly critical of the Saudi government, traveled to the Saudi consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2 to obtain a marriage license and was later revealed to have been tortured, dismembered, and killed by Saudi nationals. The CIA has concluded that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered and supervised the murder, though President Trump has refused to publicly accept this assessment.
If reports are true that Penn is filming a documentary chronicling these events, it would hardly be the first time the actor has involved himself in international politics: In 2016, Penn’s interview with the Mexican drug lord known as “El Chapo” helped authorities capture the fugitive.
