Turkish team searches residence of Saudi consul general over missing journalist

ISTANBUL - A Turkish team on Wednesday entered the residence of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul to seek further evidence over the disappearance of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The team, including police officers and crime scene investigators, arrived at the residence of Saudi Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi, who left Turkey for Riyadh the previous day, by about 15 vehicles including five mini-vans.

The search is part of the ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of Khashoggi, who has never been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct 2 for documents of his marriage with his Turkish fiancee.

The team is expected to search vehicles belonging to the consulate together with a group of Saudi officials, as Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters earlier.

A Turkish team conducted a nine-hour search inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Monday evening, which lasted until early Tuesday.

Local media said investigators had found "certain evidence" that the journalist was murdered in the consulate building.

Turkey and Saudi Arabia agreed last week to work together on the missing-person case, which has sparked an international outcry.