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Jamal Khashoggi has not been seen since Tuesday noon
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the Saudi journalist in Istanbul could be wanted.
The Turkish authorities have been asked to search the building for Jamal Khashoggi, who has not heard from him since Tuesday, he told Bloomberg News.
Mr. Khashoggi – critic of Mr. bin Salman – disappeared after entering the consulate to fill in the red tape.
He left "a few minutes or an hour" after his entry, said the prince.
"He is a Saudi citizen and we are very keen to know what has happened to him, and we will continue our dialogue with the Turkish government to see what happened to Jamal there," he said. an interview with Bloomberg.
"I understand that he came in and that he came out after a few minutes or an hour.I am not sure.We are investigating this through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to see exactly what happened at that time. "
Turkish officials said they believed Mr. Khashoggi was still inside the building.
"The premises are a sovereign territory, but we will allow them to enter, to search and to do what they want.If they ask, we will allow them of course.We have nothing to hide, "said bin Salman.
When asked if Mr. Khashoggi was facing charges in Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince said his country would need to know where he was first.
On Wednesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the ambassador of Saudi Arabia and asked for explanations about the disappearance.
The US State Department also asked for information about where he was located and worried about his safety.
The 59-year-old journalist had been living in voluntary exile in the United States since last year when he left the Gulf Kingdom after criticizing the crown prince's policy.
He regularly contributes to the Washington Post, which canceled his column on Friday.
What happened on Tuesday?
Mr. Khashoggi went to the consulate to obtain a document certifying that he had divorced his ex-wife, in order to marry his Turkish girlfriend, Hatice, who had accompanied her to the # 39; building and had waited outside, without seeing him leave.
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Jamal Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice, was waiting in front of Saudi Arabia's consulate on Wednesday
She said that it was "stressed and sad" to have been forced to go to the building.
He was required to return his cell phone, which is a common practice in some diplomatic missions.
Hatice said that he had left the phone with her and asked her to call an advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he was not returning.
She claimed to have waited in front of the consulate from around 1 pm (10 am GMT) until after midnight and did not see her leave. She returned to the reopening of the consulate on Wednesday morning.
What does Saudi Arabia say?
A Saudi official confirmed Wednesday that Khashoggi had gone to the consulate to complete the documents, but had indicated that he was "released shortly afterwards".
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The Saudi consulate said that Khashoggi had left offices
"He is neither at the consulate nor in Saudi detention," added the official.
On Thursday, the official Saudi news agency said the consulate said it "was conducting follow-up procedures and coordinating with Turkish local authorities to discover the circumstances of Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance after his arrest." departure from the consulate building ".
What does Turkey think?
Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters on Wednesday: "According to the information we have, this Saudi citizen is still at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul."
"We have no information to the contrary," he added.
The head of the Turkish-Arab Media Association told The New York Times that Turkish security officers at the consulate had checked their security cameras and had not seen the journalist leave on foot. But Turan Kislakci added that diplomatic cars had been seen coming in and out.
Mark Lowen of the BBC said the mystery threatened to deepen tensions in relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Turkey has sided with Qatar over its blockade by Saudi Arabia and other neighbors, and Turkey's rapprochement with Iran has thwarted the Riyadh government, added our correspondent.
Why would Saudi Arabia want to detain Khashoggi?
He is one of the most prominent critics of the Crown Prince, who unveiled Western-praised reforms while leading an apparent crackdown on dissent, which has arrested human rights activists and women , intellectuals and religious, and waged a war in Yemen triggered a humanitarian crisis.
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A former editor of the al-Watan newspaper and a short-lived Saudi television channel, Mr. Khashoggi has long been considered a close relative of the Saudi royal family. He has served as an advisor to senior Saudi officials.
After several of his friends were arrested, his column was canceled by the al-Hayat newspaper and he was warned to stop chirping. Mr. Khashoggi left Saudi Arabia to travel to the United States. on Arab and Western television channels.
"I left my home, my family and my job, and I raise my voice," he wrote in September 2017. "Otherwise, would betray those who languish in prison." I can speak when so many people Others can not do it.
