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The protesters hold photos of the missing journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, at a demonstration in front of the Saudi consulate on October 8 in Istanbul. (Ozan Kose / AFP / Getty Images)
Erin Cunningham
A reporter from the Middle East covering Iran, Turkey, Syria and the wider region
ISTANBUL – The Turkish Foreign Ministry called on the Saudi ambassador to demand "full cooperation" in the investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Monday. following reports that he was reportedly killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The ambassador was called to the ministry in the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday, the agency said. This was the second time that Turkey had summoned the ambassador since Khashoggi did not come out after his visit to the consulate on 2 October.
Turkish officials said they believe that 59-year-old Khashoggi, who is critical of Saudi leaders and a contributor to the Washington Post's Global Opinions section, was killed by a team of 15 Saudis who came specifically to carry out the attack. The Saudi authorities have called the accusations "unfounded".
The incident angered human rights defenders and press freedom advocates, who called on the Saudi government to clarify where Khashoggi is located. This has also raised tensions between regional rivals, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Turkey has not yet made public any evidence. The private Turkish broadcaster NTV announced on Monday that the police had asked to have access to the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul. It was unclear whether the police would have been granted access or whether they would search the diplomatic mission of the Levent district in Istanbul at a later date.
Another article in the Sabah daily on Monday said the investigators were also concentrating on a convoy of diplomatic vehicles that had left the consulate on the day of Khashoggi's disappearance. A US official said the Turkish investigators thought Khashoggi was probably dismembered, removed in cartons and expelled from the country by plane.
At a meeting with the Washington Post publisher, Fred Ryan, the Saudi ambassador to the United States said Sunday night that it was "impossible" that such a crime could be concealed by consulate employees "and we would not know it."
Ambassador, Prince Khalid bin Salman, reiterated a statement made by other Saudi officials that the consulate's video cameras had not been recorded on the day of Khashoggi's visit. The ambassador refused to discuss the matter further, instead, he said: "We do not want to hurt the investigation." He added: "Speculation does not help our mission."
Salman said Khashoggi, who had been close to the ruling family in Saudi Arabia, had "always been honest". Khashoggi's criticisms of current Saudi leaders are "sincere", adding that he had seen him personally during the past year and even exchanged text messages with the journalist. missing.
During the meeting, Ryan expressed The Post's "grave concern" about Khashoggi's disappearance. He added that The Post was committed to discovering the truth and that if the investigation revealed any involvement of the Saudi government, the news agency would consider it a flagrant attack on one of its journalists.
Khashoggi had entered the consulate to obtain a document about his upcoming marriage, according to his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.
She waited outside for hours and called the police when he did not go out. Khashoggi had been living in voluntary exile in the United States since 2017, the year he fled to Saudi Arabia for fear of being arrested.
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