Turkish authorities believe that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared four days ago after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, was killed inside the consulate, two Turkish sources said on Saturday.”The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr. Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate,” one of the sources, a Turkish official, told Reuters.
The sources did not say how they believed the killing was carried out.
Turkish police said Khashoggi never left the Saudi Consulate, adding that 15 Saudi’s, including officials, were present at the consulate same day.
The police said that around 15 Saudis, including officials, arrived in Istanbul on two flights on Tuesday and were at the consulate at the same time as the journalist.
They left again the same day, police added.
Khashoggi went to the consulate to receive an official document for his marriage.
On Saturday, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s office said it had begun investigating the disappearance of the prominent journalist, who has been missing for four days.
AK Party spokesman Ömer Çelik later said that Turkey will uncover the details about prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance and his whereabouts.
The Saudi crown prince told Bloomberg that the journalist was not inside the consulate and said he was ready to allow Turkish authorities to search the building.
“We are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises,” he said, which is Saudi sovereign territory.
He added “we will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do… We have nothing to hide,” he said in the interview published on Friday.
According to Khashoggi’s fiancee, a Turkish woman identified only as Hatice A., he went to the consulate and never re-emerged.
Ankara and Riyadh have given contradictory versions of the circumstances of Khashoggi’s disappearance.
