Turkish police search Saudi consulate again in Khashoggi case

A team of Turkish investigators searched the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for a second time as part of a probe into the disappearance of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to an AFP correspondent.

Turkish police on Wednesday also carried out a search of the residence of the Saudi consul to Istanbul, Mohammed al-Otaibi, a day after he flew out of Istanbul for Riyadh.

Khashoggi, a former regime insider who became critical of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wrote articles for titles including the Washington Post. He has not been seen since he stepped inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish officials have said they believe he was killed there although this has not been confirmed by Saudi Arabia. 

At around 4:40 pm (1340 GMT) a team of a dozen police and prosecutors, including forensics experts in white overalls entered the residence of the consul, who was at the consulate when the alleged assassination of Khashoggi took place, according to Turkish media.

The investigators examined the garden, and some could be seen on the roof of the building. A drone was also used over the building, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

The investigators left the residence around 1:30 am, but some of them headed to the nearby consulate to conduct a search, which was continuing into the early hours of Thursday. 

Turkish police on Monday night carried out an eight-hour search at the consulate, taking away soil and DNA samples.

On Wednesday, grim details emerged of the alleged fate of Khashoggi inside the consulate. According to a Turkish daily newspaper, which claimed it had obtained tapes from the consulate, Khashoggi was tortured and had his fingers cut off during interrogation and then decapitated.

Turkish authorities say he was killed by a special team of 15 Saudi officials that flew into Istanbul and left the day Khashoggi arrived at the consulate. 

Washington Post late on Tuesday published passport scans of the suspects allegedly involved in the journalist's killing, while another report detailed close links between the suspects and the powerful crown prince accused of ordering the murder.

Among the group was a leading coroner and other security officials, who Turkish intelligence alleged are linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia's al-Arabiya broadcaster claimed the 15 men were "tourists".

Agencies contributed to this report.

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