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The conclusion was also reported by Asli Aydintasbas, Senior Researcher at the European Council for Foreign Relations in Turkey, who was informed of the findings by a senior Turkish official.
"I'm afraid the government officials are now thinking that he's dead," Ms. Aydintasbas said.
The officials have no hard evidence, she added, but nonetheless concluded that Mr. Khashoggi was dead.
Turan Kislakci, president of the Turkish Arab Media Association, and also a friend of Mr. Khashoggi, told the Times that Turkish officials had called him and confirmed the death
"They confirmed two things, he was killed and his body was dismembered," Kislakci said.
Earlier on Saturday, Turkey's unofficial Turkish news agency Anadolu announced that 15 Saudi citizens, including Saudi diplomats, had arrived in Istanbul on two different planes and were at the consulate at about the same time as M Khashoggi Tuesday. They then left Turkey for the countries they came from, Anadolu reported.
Two of the sources aware of the investigation said that the 15 Saudis had arrived to silence Mr. Khashoggi, but that it was unclear whether the plan had been to bring him back alive in Arabia. Arabia, and something had gone wrong, or if the intention was to kill him there.
The Saudi Consulate General in Istanbul, Mohammad al-Otaibi, invited Reuters on Saturday to visit him to show the news agency that Mr. Khashoggi was not there. "I would like to confirm that Jamal is neither at the consulate nor in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and that the consulate and the embassy are working to seek him out," he said. . "The idea of abducting a Saudi citizen by a diplomatic mission should not be in the media."
In an interview with the New York Times, Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's Turkish fiancée, said she was following the news of her death but was waiting for the Turkish authorities to confirm it.
"I can not think that such an incident can happen in Turkey," Ms. Cengiz said.
"If such a thing had happened, Turkey would never remain silent and Saudi Arabia would never try to do the same against Turkey," added Ms. Cengiz. "Turkey would bring this on all types of international arena, and it is not a country, not a government, that would swallow it. Saudi Arabia would not be able to answer this question. Turkey would never accept that. It is impossible in Turkish history. "
