Khashoggi body not found yet: Turkish Foreign Minister

The body of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was killed after entering his country's consulate here has not been found yet, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

Cavusoglu told the media in Istanbul that Saudi Arabia's Chief Prosecutor Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb met Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Irfan Fidan in the city earlier in the day and had "very beneficial" exchange of information about the death of Khashoggi.

Media reports said the meeting between the chief prosecutors lasted an hour and 15 minutes. The two countries were conducting a joint investigation into the killing and Al-Mojeb was expected to conduct a probe at the Saudi consulate later in the day, Efe news reported.

Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist and a supporter-turned-critic of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was last seen alive entering the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

After weeks of providing conflicting accounts of what happened to Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia last week said that he was killed "accidentally" in a fist fight at the consulate by "rogue" agents. However, it denies the ruling royal family's involvement in the killing.

The kingdom had earlier dismissed five high-ranking officials -- including the Crown Prince's media chief and the deputy head of the Saudi intelligence service -- and arrested 18 people in the case.

Ankara requested last week for the extradition of the suspects for trial in Turkey, but that was rejected by Riyadh.

Turkish police and crime scene investigators have conducted searches in the Saudi consulate, the residence of the Saudi consul general as well as a forest in Istanbul, trying to find the body of Khashoggi.

--IANS

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