Istanbul forest being searched for Khashoggi body

Search teams started poring through Belgrad Forest, located in Turkey’s Istanbul, on Thursday looking for the body of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

It is believed that vehicles that left the consulate on Oct. 2, the day Khashoggi went missing, could have traveled to the forest.

Khashoggi was a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and he was critical of the Saudi government, calling for reforms.

He has long been feared killed after he entered the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul on Oct. 2 and was never seen leaving.

On the same day, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

Officials from a joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case early Thursday after searching the Saudi consul general's official residence as well as the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul.

The Turkish team concluded its search for evidence in nine hours and left but returned to the Saudi consulate to continue searching the premises.