Turkish police leave Saudi consulate after 9-hour search for Khashoggi DNA traces (VIDEO)

Turkish forensics team have conducted a sweep of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul trying to find any evidence into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, whom Ankara believes was murdered at the diplomatic site.

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Having entered the Kingdom’s consulate on Monday, for the first time since Khashoggi disappearance nearly two weeks ago, a team of Turkish experts spent the next nine hours looking for clues and DNA samples which could shed light on the mysterious vanishing of the journalist. Video of Turkish investigative team shows police officers sweeping the premises in Istanbul before departing the consulate in early hours of Tuesday morning.

Earlier Ankara speculated that Khashoggi was likely murdered inside the consulate by a team of assassins sent by Riyadh – a claim which Saudi Arabia firmly denies. On Monday, however, US media noted that the Saudis might be considering revising their original position of deniability and might soon consent to the admission that Khashoggi died during an interrogation that ‘went wrong.’

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Earlier, US President Donald Trump warned that Riyadh would face “severe punishment” if it was found guilty of ordering the murder of Khashoggi. However, after a telephone conversation with King Salman, US President noted that “rogue killers” could be behind the Washington Post journalist’s disappearance and suspected murder.

Khashoggi, a critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi royal family, was last seen on October 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get documents for his forthcoming marriage.

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