Turkey searches Saudi consul's residence

A Turkish investigation team has started to search the residence of Saudi Arabia's consul in Istanbul, looking for evidence linked to the disappearance of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, state news agency Anadolu reported.

The search at the residence, which included police from anti-terrorism and forensic units, follows a nine-hour search of the consulate building that concluded early on Tuesday when Turkish officials also took soil samples from its garden, Anadolu said.

The teams would search for DNA and chemical traces at the residence, private broadcaster Haberturk reported.

Khashoggi, a vocal critic of Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, where he had gone to pick up papers so he could marry his Turkish fiancee. Turkish officials have told the media that the dissident and Washington Post columnist was murdered inside the consulate. Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations.

Hours before the search at the residence, a Saudi team arrived at the building, Anadolu said, adding police cordoned off the street in Istanbul's Levent district.

The search at the residence comes after a delay on Tuesday when Saudi Arabia's consul general in Istanbul, Mohammad al-Otaibi, left Turkey on a commercial flight, according to state broadcaster TRT.

The government said early on Wednesday that the search at the residence could not take place as planned, citing bureaucratic procedures with the Saudi leadership.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in Ankara following a meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that talks with the US diplomat were "beneficial and fruitful."

Pompeo, who met with the Saudi leadership Tuesday in Riyadh to discuss Khashoggi's disappearance, was received by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.

As pressure mounted on Saudi Arabia and Turkey to release clear details about what happened to Khashoggi, Turkish government officials moved to urge for patience, saying they need more time.

"Everyone should wait for the result of the probe," Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told Anadolu. "It would be a waste of time to speak too much on this issue."

Soylu said the government is carrying out a "transparent" investigation and that the results would be shared with the world, characterizing the probe as a "test" for the Turkish judiciary.

Pro-government Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak reported Wednesday that it had access to an alleged audio recording of Khashoggi's killing which provided evidence that the journalist was also tortured.

The newspaper reported that al-Otaibi, the Saudi consul general, is heard on the audio saying: "Do this outside. You are going to get me in trouble."

According to Yeni Safak, the alleged torturers responded: "Shut up if you want to live when you return to Saudi Arabia." The report could not be independently verified.

In the wake of Khashoggi's disappearance, several high-profile US media companies have pulled their sponsorship from Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh later this month. Leading US companies including Google and Ford as well as IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said they would not attend the Future Investment Initiative next week.

Saudi Arabia has said the forum will go ahead as scheduled despite the withdrawals.