By Zuhal Demirci
ANKARA (AA) - Following similar permission for a search of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkish and Saudi officials are set to search the residence of the Saudi consul concerning the case of a missing journalist.
The search is meant to shed light on the case of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2, said Turkish Foreign Ministry officials, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
On Monday, Turkish and Saudi officials started a joint investigation of the case.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office assigned an acting chief prosecutor and public prosecutor to the case.
Also on the team are specialists from the Istanbul Provincial Security Directorate’s anti-terror branch and crime scene investigation units.
On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz spoke on the phone about forming a joint working group to probe Khashoggi’s disappearance, according to presidential sources.
Also on Oct. 2, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the building while Khashoggi was still inside, Turkish police sources said. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.
Saudi authorities have yet to give a clear explanation of what happened to Khashoggi, while several countries -- particularly Turkey, the U.S., and the U.K. -- are pressing for the mystery to be cleared up as soon as possible.