In the case of the missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to media reports, the Istanbul prosecutor's office interrogated members of the Saudi Arabian consulate, in which the government critic disappeared on 2 October. As the official news agency Anadolu reports, the employees were questioned on Friday about the explosive case.
According to the station NTV, there were 15 Turkish employees, including a driver, an accountant and a technician. The hearings would take place in a court in the district of Caglayan.
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It is suspected that Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was tortured and murdered by secret agents during a visit to the consulate. Riad denies this, but so far has not presented any evidence that the "Washington Post" columnist left the consulate alive. The police raided the consulate and the consul's residence twice in recent days.
Search apparently expanded to forest area
According to media reports, the police are said to have extended their investigation to a forest area in northern Istanbul. There, on the day of Khashoggi's disappearance, a Consulate car had been observed.
The Turkish government has so far avoided blaming Saudi Arabia, but Turkish media have been publishing new details from the police for days, increasing pressure on the leadership in Riyadh.