ANKARA – Turkey has sought permission to search Saudi Arabia’s consulatein Istanbul after a prominent journalist from the kingdom went missing lastweek following a visit to the building, Turkish television reported onMonday.
The request was made after the foreign ministry summoned the Saudiambassador for a second time over the disappearance of Washington Postcontributor Jamal Khashoggi, NTV broadcaster said.
A Turkish diplomatic source confirmed the Saudi envoy was “invited” to theministry on Sunday in Ankara and was met by deputy foreign minister SedatOnal.
“The ambassador was told that we expected full cooperation during theinvestigation,” the source said.
The ambassador was first summoned to the foreign ministry on Wednesday.
Khashoggi, 59, went to the consulate to obtain official documents ahead ofhis marriage to his Turkish fiancee. Turkish police said he never left thebuilding.
However, Riyadh insisted Khashoggi left the consulate while a Turkishgovernment source at the weekend said they believe he was killed.
Read Top Stories
The consulate on Sunday rejected the claims that the journalist was killedthere as “baseless” in a post on Twitter.
In his first comments over the disappearance, Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he was awaiting the results of aninvestigation.
“We hope to have results very quickly,” Erdogan said. “I am waiting, withhigh hopes.”
Khashoggi had been critical of some of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed binSalman’s policies and Riyadh’s intervention in the war in Yemen. – APP/AFP
