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Turkey's Erdogan Presses Saudi Arabia On Missing Journalist


CCTV footage shows Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (right) arriving at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.
CCTV footage shows Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (right) arriving at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pressed Saudi Arabia to release images that prove Riyadh's claim missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul alive.

Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi monarchy, has been missing since visiting the consulate on October 2 to complete paperwork needed to marry his Turkish fiancee.

Turkish officials said they believed he was killed inside the consulate.

Saudi Arabia denies the claim as baseless and insists the journalist left the building safely. The Saudi Consulate has said CCTV cameras were not working the day Khashoggi disappeared.

"Is it possible there were no camera systems in a consulate, in an embassy?" Turkish media quoted Erdogan as saying.

"We cannot remain silent to such an incident," he also said.

On October 10, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had spoken with the Saudis about what he called a "bad situation."

He also said the United States was working "very closely" with Turkey, adding, "I think we'll get to the bottom of it."

Turkish media reported that a Saudi "assassination squad" arrived in Istanbul on board two private jets on October 2.

State broadcaster TRT published video showing Khashoggi entering the Istanbul Consulate. Other footage purportedly shows Saudi aircraft and agents arriving in the Turkish city.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

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