ANKARA: Turkish authorities believe that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared days ago after entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, was killed inside the building.
"The initial assessment of the Turkish police is that Mr Khashoggi has been killed at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. We believe the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate," one Turkish official told Reuters.
The Turkish sources did not say how they believed the killing was carried out.
A Saudi source at the consulate denied that Mr Khashoggi had been killed at the mission and said in a statement that the accusation was baseless.
The Saudi source said a security team including Saudi investigators had arrived in Istanbul on Saturday to take part in the investigation into his disappearance.
EXILE
Mr Khashoggi, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Washington for the past year fearing retribution for his criticism of Saudi policies, entered the consulate last Tuesday to secure documents for his forthcoming marriage, according to his fiancee, who waited outside. He has not been heard of since.
Turkish and Saudi officials have offered conflicting accounts of his disappearance, with Ankara saying there was no evidence he had left the diplomatic mission and Riyadh saying he exited the premises the same day.
The US is seeking more information, a State Department official said.
A Turkish security source told Reuters that a group of 15 Saudi nationals, including some officials, had arrived in Istanbul in two planes and entered the consulate the day Mr Khashoggi was there and later left the country.
The Turkish source said Turkish officials were trying to identify them. Turkey's Anadolu news agency also reported a group of Saudis were briefly at the consulate.
Over the past year, Mr Khashoggi has written columns for newspapers including The Washington Post criticising Saudi policies towards Qatar and Canada, the war in Yemen and a crackdown on dissent that has seen dozens of people detained. - REUTERS
https://www.tnp.sg/news/world/sources-saudi-reporter-killed-consulate-turkey
