U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he does not know anything about Washington Post columnist Khashoggi’s disappearance he had not yet spoken with Saudi officials about the situation, a week after the journalist disappeared.
Less than a day after saying he was “concerned” for Khashoggi, Trump said he would talk with Saudi officials “at some point.”
“I am concerned about it. I don’t like hearing about it,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday. “Hopefully that will sort itself out,” the president added.
Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that an examination will be carried out in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and that Saudi authorities were open to cooperation.
Dissident journalist and Washington Post contributor Khashoggi, 58, has been missing since last Tuesday after entering the Saudi consulate to gather documents for marriage. His fiancee and friends have said he did not leave the building. The dissident Saudi journalist’s Turkish colleagues and several Turkish officials have voiced concerns that he was murdered in the consulate.
Turkish authorities repeatedly said that Khashoggi never left the consulate premises. Footage emerged Tuesday showing Khashoggi entering the building the week before.
Saudi officials and consulate workers denied murder allegations and claimed that Khashoggi left the consulate, but failed to provide any evidence of his exit from the facility.
Turkish police investigating the case said on Saturday that 15 Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and entered the consulate while Khashoggi was inside.
Istanbul prosecutors are investigating the incident, while the consulate said on Twitter that it was working in coordination with Turkish authorities.
Source: Daily Sabah