The US-based New York Times reached out to Maldivian mathematician and computer scientist, Professor Hassan Ugail, to help solve the case of the missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who is believed to have been killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.
The 167-year-old American media firm approached Ugail in order to identify three suspects who were linked to the death of Khashoggi.
The journalists from the New York Times identified the three missing suspects last month with the help of the 'face recognition system' invented by Ugail.
Ugail was able to identify the suspects by analysing CCTV footage taken from various points of view of the suspects. Ugail also helped spot one of the suspects, who had disguised his appearance with a fake beard.
“The photos received from the airport CCTV footage and the pictures from social media were used to identify the faces of the suspects,” said Ugail. “The suspect who tried to change his appearance was spotted with the help of the CCTV footage.”
“I am not claiming that the suspects were responsible for the death of Khashoggi. I merely helped ‘The Times’ to identify the suspects they were searching for.”
The New York Times reported that the Saudi journalist was killed by a special team of 15 people from Saudi Arabia who were sent to Turkey. The Times have also cited senior officials of the Saudi government, that a forensic expert was involved in the killing of Khashoggi, who is believed to have used a hand-saw to mutilate the body.
According to Ugail, police and private companies from other countries have also approached him regarding high profile cases such as this one. Furthermore, he added that his “face recognition system” has been a great success so far.
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