Turkey asks to search Saudi consulate

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Turkey has sought permission to search Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul after a prominent journalist from the Kingdom went missing last week following a visit to the building, Turkish television reported on Monday.

The request was made after the foreign ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador for a second time over the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, NTV broadcaster said. A Turkish diplomatic source confirmed the Saudi envoy was “invited” to the ministry on Sunday in Ankara and was met by deputy foreign minister Sedat Onal.

“The ambassador was told that we expected full cooperation during the investigation,” 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 of his marriage to his Turkish fiancee. Turkish police said he never left the building.

However, Riyadh insisted Khashoggi left the consulate while a Turkish government source at the weekend said they believe he was killed. The consulate on Sunday rejected the claims that the journalist was killed there as “baseless” in a post on Twitter.

In his first comments over the disappearance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he was awaiting the results of an investigation. “We hope to have results very quickly,” Erdogan said. “I am waiting, with high hopes.” Khashoggi had been critical of some of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s policies and Riyadh’s intervention in the war in Yemen. (AFP)

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